New York Giants 2026 Offseason Outlook

For a franchise that has had just one playoff appearance and one winning season in the last nine years, expectations are pretty high for the New York Giants. Despite coming off a 4-13 record in 2025, the Giants have found their new franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart and they hope to have ended a revolving door of head coaches with the hiring of Super Bowl-winning coach John Harbaugh.

As soon as Harbaugh was let go by the Baltimore Ravens, he became the hottest commodity on the market — and the Giants put on a full-court press to get him. The team has gone through four head coaches — not including interims — in the 10 years since Tom Coughlin stepped down. Harbaugh looks to be the Giants’ first true “CEO” since Coughlin.

Harbaugh inherits a team with interesting young weapons in 2025 rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers, who had a spectacular rookie season in 2024 and then missed most of 2025 with an ACL injury.

2025 recap

Brian Daboll was fired 10 games into his fourth season as head coach. The Giants were 2-8 at the time, in contention for the first overall pick in the draft. They ended up winning their final two games, costing them the No. 1 pick but perhaps creating some hope for the future. In 12 starts, Dart established himself as an exciting dual-threat QB, throwing 15 touchdown passes and rushing for nine more. The biggest concern was reining Dart in just a bit in order to minimize the big hits he takes.

Defensively, first-round pick Abdul Carter wasn’t the impact rookie many expected him to be, but he can still develop into a dangerous pass rusher opposite Brian Burns, who had 16.5 sacks last season. With veteran Dexter Lawrence plugging the interior, the Giants have an excellent front line. Still, the Giants defense ranked 28th in yards allowed and 26th in points allowed, so they still need better pieces in the back seven.

Key free agents

QB Russell Wilson
RT Jermaine Eluemunor
G Evan Neal
WR Wan’Dale Robinson
CB Cordale Flott
TE Daniel Bellinger

Giants salary cap space

$6,947,721

2026 draft needs

If only the Giants had that No. 1 pick, they could have landed a bounty from a team desperate for Fernando Mendoza. There’s less of a chance they’ll find takers for the fifth overlal pick, but the Giants can really use as many extra picks as they can get. Offensive line is always a key need for this team, as is cornerback. Depending on whether or not they re-sign Wan’Dale Robinson, finding a productive receiver to team eith Nabers is important.

2026 opponents

Home:Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Arizona, Cleveland, Jacksonville, New Orleans, San Francisco, Tennessee

Away:Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, L.A. Rams, Seattle