Two figures credited for helping Giants win John Harbaugh sweepstakes

New York Giants fans were delighted to wake up to the news on Thursday that the club was finalizing a deal to make John Harbaugh its next head coach.

A previous report noted that former Giants coaches Brian Daboll and Tom Coughlin, along with club legend Eli Manning, had reached out to Harbaugh to give him "strong recommendations" about the organization and about 2025 rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. 

It appears one of those individuals helped eliminate any concerns Harbaugh may have had about working with Giants general manager Joe Schoen. 

Brian Daboll sold John Harbaugh on Joe Schoen? 

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Daboll "was extremely complimentary about the entire Giants operation and is believed to have assured Harbaugh that he would have no problem working with Schoen, as Schoen believes in a collaborative approach." 

Schoen's first big move as Giants GM in January 2022 was to hire Daboll, and the two guided the club to a road playoff win in their first campaign together. From there, however, the Giants went 11-33 from Week 1 of the 2023 season up until Daboll was fired this past November. 

Shortly after it became clear that the Giants were retaining Schoen, a report indicated Harbaugh "would like to select his own" general manager with his next team. For whatever reasons, Daboll assured Harbaugh that wouldn't be necessary with the Giants. 

John Harbaugh hiring could be a sign of things to come for the Giants?

Before Dart and others associated with the Giants met with Harbaugh at the team's facility on Wednesday, Giants senior player personnel executive Chris Mara met Harbaugh for an informal lunch meeting at the coach's house this past weekend. That meeting seemingly was about more than just selling Harbaugh on the Giants. 

"It’s exceptionally notable that Chris Mara (John Mara's younger brother) played such a prominent role in the process since he has mostly operated in the background as an owner," Giants insider Dan Duggan shared. "...With John Mara battling cancer, Chris Mara is poised to step into a greater leadership role. The Harbaugh hire could have major implications for the legacies of both brothers. There has been no word on John Mara’s prognosis, but this could be his last major move as the steward of the franchise that has been in his family for 101 years. For Chris Mara, playing a role in landing Harbaugh could be a monumental first step if he takes the reins."

In short, the hiring of Harbaugh could represent a new era for the Giants in more ways than one. However, the two sides first must go from "finalizing" an agreement to putting pen to paper on the deal.