Across the last few days, the Atlanta Falcons' hopes of hiring John Harbaugh suffered a cardiac arrest, and seemed to be dying before fans eyes. But instead of biting the dust so the team could move onto other coaching candidates, Matt Ryan and the Atlanta front office received a second wind.
Due to reports surfacing about Harbaugh's desire for complete creative control and a stable quarterback situation, the Falcons looked to be falling out of the race entirely. Instead, SNY's Connor Hughes dropped a bombshell that revealed the contrary, the Dirty Bird's pursuit of him is very alive.
There is a "belief" among other coaching candidates that John Harbaugh will land with either the Giants or the Atlanta Falcons, SNY's Connor Hughes reports:
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) January 12, 2026
"...with the loser of those sweepstakes landing Kevin Stefanski.
The Miami Dolphins have Harbaugh interest, too, although… pic.twitter.com/p0LqgMVAGh
Hughes' New York Giants figured to be the heavy frontrunners for the services of the Super Bowl-winning head coach, but the race is more open than it seems. He revealed that Harbaugh's likely destination is New York or Atlanta, while the loser of the sweepstakes will likely hire Kevin Stefanski.
There's still a real chance John Harbaugh is the next Falcons' head coach
Hughes' report also revealed that the Miami Dolphins are still interested in Harbaugh, but there's less appeal there because they already filled their GM opening. And since the Dirty Birds actually have an opening at GM rather than a sitting duck in Joe Schoen, this is fantastic news for Falcons fans.
Following the disaster that was the Raheem Morris era in Atlanta, the 63-year-old would be a welcomed change-of-pace. He took the Ravens to the playoffs in six of the last eight seasons, so his demand for excellence would be perfect in helping the Falcons break their eight-year playoff drought.
In Atlanta, Harbaugh would be inheriting a better roster than New York. That same roster is set up to immediately compete in a division that is among the worst in football. They should have won the NFC South in each of the last two seasons, and the Giants are nowhere near as set up to compete now.
The main red flags with him are both his age and the fact he wouldn't be calling plays, but his track record makes up for both of those. The Falcons probably should hire a coach who will help develop Michael Penix Jr., but Harbaugh would most likely bring OC Todd Monken with him to call plays.
Unlike the Giants, the Falcons aren't as all-in on hiring Harbaugh, which could act in their favor. Their main competition also has more QB stability with Jaxson Dart, but that's the only leg up they have, as Atlanta's new regime won't enter the season on the hot seat like Giants' GM Joe Schoen will.
The bidding war is in full swing, but given Atlanta's GM frontrunner worked with Harbaugh in Baltimore, he's no shoo-in to land in New York. Arthur Blank clearly wants him here, so he'll stop at nothing to make it happen.