Update: The New York Giants and John Harbaugh are working to finalize a deal to make him their next head coach, a league source confirmed.

How does a 4-13 team that has mastered the art of losing in recent years become one of the biggest NFL stories in the middle of the playoffs?

Call the New York market your home and chase after the most coveted coaching free agent in the hiring cycle as if your $10 billion franchise valuation depended on it, that’s how.

The staid, old-school Giants continued their stunning, all-out pursuit of John Harbaugh on Wednesday by flying him into New Jersey on co-owner Steve Tisch’s private jet, which was tracked by seasoned Internet sleuths and hopeful Giants fans alike. Harbaugh was escorted into meetings with Tisch, partner John Mara, and other senior executives, including Chris Mara and general manager Joe Schoen.

He shared dinner with Giants officials at a local restaurant before his visit ended, and was given a tour of the East Rutherford, N.J., practice facility that included a meet-and-greet with quarterback Jaxson Dart, whose dual-threat talents on tape gave Harbaugh “a lot to be excited about,” the coach told at least one person.

The Giants had a ton to be excited about on Wednesday, even though Harbaugh left town at night without having accepted a deal to become the team’s next head coach. The Giants understood it was a long shot to secure Harbaugh’s signature on the dotted line when he had a Thursday interview scheduled with the Tennessee Titans at his Baltimore area home, as first reported by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Asked before the meetings to handicap the chances that Harbaugh would sign with the Giants before leaving the building and cancel his Titans meeting, one connected NFL source said, “Zero. Close to zero. And that has nothing to do with the Giants.” The source said Harbaugh felt the need to meet with at least one other finalist before making his decision.

Though the Atlanta Falcons claimed the first interview of the courtship Monday — a phone call between Harbaugh and the Falcons’ new president of football, Matt Ryan — the Giants scored the first in-person interview with the 63-year-old coach, who was fired by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti last week after an 18-year run in Baltimore that included a Super Bowl title, a dozen postseason appearances and 180 regular-season victories.

This extended Giants-Harbaugh summit unfolded two days after Chris Mara told The Athletic that he met the candidate for lunch and an informal meeting on Sunday at his Baltimore-area home. At the time, several sources directly involved in the process said Harbaugh was “very interested” in the Giants’ opening.

That interest appeared to remain wholly intact after hours of face-to-face meetings at the team’s facility. One participant described the sessions as “excellent.” Asked about the state of negotiations later in the evening, a second participant said, “Went well. Still talking.”

Giants officials had dinner with Harbaugh before he left for Teterboro airport and took off in Tisch’s Gulfstream G500 at 7:27 p.m. The plane landed at Baltimore/Washington International at 8:05 p.m., and Harbaugh headed to his Owings Mills home and began preparing for his sitdown with the Titans, who have already interviewed Falcons coach Raheem Morris, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.

Tennessee is also scheduled to meet with former Giants coach Brian Daboll, former Dallas Cowboys and Packers coach Mike McCarthy, former Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

Harbaugh has no other scheduled in-person interviews on the docket as of Wednesday night. The Falcons were still believed to be pursuing a meeting with Harbaugh, while the Miami Dolphins continued to show interest in him.

Still, his focus during the day on Wednesday was on the Giants, the perceived front-runner who could hire Harbaugh at any point. The team has already interviewed multiple candidates and has fulfilled its Rooney Rule requirements.

Does Harbaugh want to take a big bite of the Big Apple, or will he pivot to one of his several available alternatives?

It’s the most compelling question of the NFL’s playoff season, thanks to a 4-13 team.

— The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Dan Duggan and Charlotte Carroll contributed to this report.