The Atlanta Falcons' odds of landing John Harbaugh are growing slimmer by the minute. The more time Harbaugh spends at the New York Giants' facility, the higher the likelihood that they agree to a deal today, and the Giants are clearly pushing a hard bargain to entice him into a firm commitment.
The Giants have been pulling out all the stops for the 63-year-old for days now, so they are trying to entice him to the point that he won't even take his interviews with the Falcons and Titans, the other favorites in the Harbaugh sweepstakes, but that one might be tougher than John Mara realizes.
The people I talk to continue to stress that the Falcons are more of a threat to the Giants than any other team. Granted, interviews can change that. https://t.co/KEBDgmAT6x
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) January 14, 2026
SNY's Connor Hughes reported that despite all of Harbaugh's demands, New York is willing to pay both him and his staff what they want, which has aided the push to ensure he doesn't leave the building and take his other two in-person interviews later this week, which is a highly difficult sell.
However, Hughes' report also revealed that the Dirty Birds are the biggest threat to land Harbaugh. The talent on the roster is built to instantly compete in a weaker division, but he also revealed there's mutual respect between the veteran head coach and Falcons' president of football Matt Ryan, which is the only glimmer of hope on Atlanta's side right now.
The Falcons are the only team standing in the way of the Giants landing John Harbaugh today
The Super Bowl-winning head coach made the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons in Baltimore, so it's hard to blame the Giants for the aggression in their pursuit. He would reset their culture overnight and assemble a staff that would work wonders with their young core, but this is a bit extreme.
The Giants had Chris Mara fly to Baltimore to have lunch with him on Sunday, had Eli Manning and former head coach Brian Daboll praise the organization to Harbaugh, and they got the first interview. It's no secret that's probably where he ends up, but at least he's giving Ryan and Arthur Blank the courtesy of still speaking—at least for now.
Harbaugh also seems to be a pretty big fan of Jaxson Dart's, and is reportedly interested in working with him. It was also reported that Dart was a part of the conglomerate who met with Harbaugh, which is a brutal development for the Falcons.
The Falcons said they got the first interview, but the fact of the matter is, they didn't. Harbaugh took phone calls with all of the teams he was interested in, but is only planning to conduct these three interviews. And it's pretty telling he kicked things off with the team who's the most interested in him.
Ryan and Harbaugh's relationship could only do so much, but at least Atlanta GM frontrunner, Ian Cunningham, spent time with him in Baltimore. Both searches are still ongoing, but it's highly doubtful the Falcons match anything the Giants are reportedly offering Harbaugh—and that's the right move.