The New York Giants appear to have two clear-cut favorites for their head-coaching vacancy, but one analyst thinks they won't hire either one.
Those two clear-cut favorites are former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
According to The Athletic's Ian O'Connor, Stefanski was previously considered to be the favorite for the Giants' gig before Harbaugh became available. O'Connor also notes that Harbaugh is very interested in the Giants.
Despite all that, USA TODAY's Nick Brinkerhoff thinks the Giants won't hire either one and instead predicts Big Blue will land on Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
"That might not be the flashy hire that fans want, but you don't win games by stealing headlines. Hafley's defense took a step back in Green Bay over the past month after losing Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt to season-ending injuries," Brinkerhoff said.
"Injuries aren't Hafley's fault and if he can bring along a solid offensive coordinator, he might just be the perfect fit for the Giants," he added.
A New Jersey native, Hafley is well-respected around the league and is considered one of the better head coach candidates in this cycle.
He would be a good fit for a Giants team that has an attractive foundation on defense for him to work with.
That said, we tend to believe the Giants are going to opt for head-coach experience instead of rolling with another first-time head coach.
After all, New York struck out (and badly) the last two times it hired a first-time head coach in Brian Daboll and Joe Judge.
But, if for some reason the Giants can't land either Harbaugh or Stefanski, Hafley could be catapulted to the top of the list of preferred candidates in New York.
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