Jan. 18, 2026, 6:04 a.m. ET
John Harbaugh was officially hired as the 21st head coach in the history of the New York Giants after putting the final touches on a five-year deal worth a reported $100 million.
Several factors influenced Harbaugh’s decision to sign with Big Blue, but one key factor was the conversations he had with former Giants two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin.
“Tom Coughlin. He was a big part of this process for me. I spent a lot of time on the phone with Tom. I’ve admired him as a coach and friend, and he really encouraged me to go forward with the Giants,” Harbaugh told Ian O’Connor of The Athletic.
Coughlin was the oldest man the Giants ever hired as a head coach (57, in 2004) until Saturday, when the Giants hired the 63-year-old Harbaugh.
Coughlin, now 76, coached the Giants for 12 seasons from 2004 through 2015, and the Giants have not been the same since he left the building. They have just two winning seasons since his departure and have lost 10 or more games in 10 of the 12 seasons since he parted ways with the team.
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Coughlin has come back to help the team get back on the winning track once again. He has part of three of the Giants’ four Super Bowl victories. He was on Bill Parcells’ coaching staff that won Super Bowl XXV in 1990, and then served as head coach of the Giants’ two most recent championship teams in 2007 and 2011.
