The decision to bring in John Harbaugh, who recently departed from the Baltimore Ravens, generated significant buzz across the league. Among those weighing in on the hire was veteran coach Jon Gruden, who shared his candid thoughts on what Harbaugh brings to the struggling franchise.

“I like that for the Giants,” Gruden said during an appearance on the Pro Football Show. “I think Harbaugh is a great leader, number one. He’s a great communicator, but more than that, he’s going to hire a very good staff. He has a lot of connections in the league, and when you get a head coaching job, it’s not just you coming to the team. You’ve got to hire 15 to 20 assistants, and Harbaugh is going to do a good job of hiring the right staff, and they’ve got a young quarterback.”

Before being fired by the Ravens, John Harbaugh was one of the longest-tenured coaches in NFL history, having been in Baltimore since 2008. In these 18 years, he went 180-113, the fourth-best record in the NFL in that span, behind only the New England Patriots (193-100), the Pittsburgh Steelers (183-108-2), and the Green Bay Packers (182-108-3).

Alongside regular-season success, John Harbaugh finished his time in Baltimore with 13 playoff wins, and his eight road postseason victories are the most in NFL postseason history.

Further, talking about developing the Giants’ young QB1 Jaxon Dart, John Harbaugh would emerge as one of the best options, as highlighted by Gruden, because the veteran coach seamlessly transitioned from Joe Flacco to Lamar Jackson as he reshaped the offense by hiring coordinators who aligned with the quarterback’s attributes rather than forcing a single system.

With John Harbaugh as his head coach, Jackson has won two NFL MVPs and solidified his place among the best shot-callers in the league.

Gruden’s praise for the hire carries added weight given his own interest in returning to the sidelines. The veteran coach had reportedly thrown his hat in the ring for the Giants’ head coaching position, making him one of several experienced candidates vying for the opportunity to lead the franchise’s turnaround.

Back when Jon Gruden got candid on the New York Giants

Since coaching the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, Jon Gruden hasn’t been on the sidelines for a franchise as he continues to impart his footballing wisdom through his role in the media. But when the Giants fired their head coach Brian Daboll after a 2-8 start to the season, Gruden spoke about how any coach would love leading the charge with the Big Blue.

“First of all, it’s the New York Giants,” Jon Gruden told ESPN last month. “I mean, it is one of the founding franchises of football. It’s New York. It’s Jaxson Dart. You know what kind of talent he is. You know he has the arm talent and the athleticism. I know he’s a smart guy. He’s a great competitor. I think that is pretty much a good summary of why this is a desirable job.”

While his recent stint in Sin City ended with controversy, Jon Gruden remains one of the top coaches in NFL history. Throughout his NFL coaching career, Gruden has recorded 117 wins, 112 losses, and 1 tie in the regular season, with a 5-4 postseason record, including a Super Bowl XXXVII win with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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But now with John Harbaugh taking over the head coaching responsibility in New York, football fans may have to wait a bit longer to see Jon Gruden back in the NFL.