First big move of John Harbaugh regime shows changes are coming for Giants

The New York Giants changed the internal structure of the organization when they agreed to have new head coach John Harbaugh report directly to team co-owner John Mara and not to general manager Joe Schoen. 

Harbaugh's introductory Giants news conference occurred on Tuesday. Roughly 24 hours later, his impact on the franchise was already being felt. 

Kevin Abrams move the first of many for the Giants?

ESPN's Jordan Raanan and others reported on Wednesday night that Giants senior vice president of football operations and strategy Kevin Abrams is leaving the club after spending 27 years with the organization. SNY NFL insider Connor Hughes noted that Abrams' departure is "stunning" because the executive was viewed as "untouchable for just about every Giants regime."

Per John Flanigan of SNY, Abrams was first hired as a salary-cap consultant in 1999 and was promoted to assistant general manager after three seasons. After the Giants hired Schoen in January 2022, Abrams shifted into the role of senior vice president of football operations. 

Who else is John Harbaugh showing the door in early days of Giants tenure? 

According to Hughes, Abrams' departure "is just the beginning" of sweeping changes expected to come for the Giants under Harbaugh. Hughes also shared that Harbaugh "informed the vast majority of the Giants' defensive coaches to clean out their offices over the weekend." 

Specifically, Raanan said that special teams coordinator Michael Ghorbial and defensive line coach Andre Patterson are among those who won't be returning as part of Harbaugh's staff. 

"The Giants' medical department and athletic training staff are also expected to be part of the shakeup," Raanan added. 

As recently as Wednesday, Harbaugh was expected to bring in offensive coordinator Todd Monken from the Baltimore Ravens to serve as the Giants' next OC. That situation could change if the Cleveland Browns or a different team attempts to hire Monken as its next head coach. 

On Tuesday, Schoen said he was "not worried about" the Giants' organizational changes that came from "something on a piece of paper that doesn't matter." It's already clear that Harbaugh's power within the Giants is very real, which understandably will lead some to wonder if Schoen will have a future with the organization beyond the upcoming draft.