The New York Giants have hired John Harbaugh as the 21st head coach in the 101-year-old franchise’s history, the team announced Saturday night.
The sides began working on a contract Wednesday night after it became clear that Harbaugh was the right fit.
Harbaugh officially joined the Giants 11 days after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens, who made the playoffs 12 times during his 18 seasons in charge and won the Super Bowl to cap the 2012 season. However, they fell short of the playoffs this year after missing a field-goal attempt as time expired in the regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, leading ownership to make a change and putting Harbaugh on the market.
Giants ownership and general manager Joe Schoen pounced, bringing on a proven winner with significant experience. Harbaugh interviewed in person for the vacancy earlier this week, spending several hours at the team facility, speaking with starting quarterback Jaxson Dart and going out to dinner.
Harbaugh is now tasked with turning around the beleaguered franchise, which has eighth NFL titles, including eight in the Super Bowl era, but that has made just two playoff appearances over the past 12 years and has not made it past the divisional round in that span.