John Harbaugh rumor should concern Giants amid interest in former Ravens head coach

Mike Moraitis

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John Harbaugh rumor should concern Giants amid interest in former Ravens head coach image

Rumors surrounding the reasons for John Harbaugh's exit from the Baltimore Ravens should be concerning to the New York Giants.

Harbaugh was cut loose by the Ravens on Tuesday, and the expectation is that he's the favorite for the Giants job, per ESPN's Adam Schefter and The Athletic's Ian O'Connor, and O'Connor adds that the Giants might be No. 1 on Harbaugh's list because of his affinity for the organization and quarterback Jaxson Dart.

While Harbaugh seems like a slam-dunk hire for the Giants to make, a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport might give them pause.

Rapoport reports that Harbaugh lost the locker room in Baltimore, which led to the Ravens' decision to move on from him.

“At the end, players just simply had doubts about whether or not they wanted to play for him as their head coach,” Rapoport said. “The opinions of players was valued here. It was listened to. It went to all levels. And it’s not just Lamar Jackson.”

“Now, it started, it sounded like to me, with Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson not being on the same page,” he added. “It continued throughout the locker room. Maybe not 100 percent, but more than enough for the Baltimore Ravens to say that among the reasons to move on, this was a big one.”

This is no doubt concerning, but context is important here.

Harbaugh was with the same team for 18 seasons and even the most successful head coach can wear out his welcome with players after so many years and a change of scenery just becomes necessary.

That doesn't mean Harbaugh is going to run into the same problem in New York, where he'll be a fresh voice.

While these rumors are likely something the Giants will take into consideration as they assess Harbaugh, we don't believe this will stop New York from hiring a head coach they clearly covet.

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Contributing Writer