John Harbaugh and the New York Giants have come to an agreement to make Harbaugh their new head coach. The top coaching candidate is now off the market. There have been rumors swirling that Giants legend Eli Manning reached out to Harbaugh about coaching the Giants, but it was actually the other way around.

The Athletic reported that Eli Manning and former Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll called Harbaugh, telling him why he’d be a perfect fit in the Big Apple. But it was actually the other way around. Harbaugh reached out to Peyton Manning to get Eli’s phone number, and the two hopped on a call shortly after to discuss the job.

Two months ago, Eli met with Giants owner John Mara to discuss who the next head coach should be. At the time, nobody knew Harbaugh would be available, but Eli told Mara that they needed to find a head coach with a lot of experience. Someone who has been around the block and seen everything in the NFL. It just so happens that Harbaugh ended up being the perfect fit.

How it all came together so fast

Harbaugh’s camp heard from every team with a head coaching vacancy, but it appears Harbaugh’s eyes were set on the Giants’ job since the moment he left the Ravens’ building.

Jordan Schultz reported on Wednesday that the Giants were doing everything in their power to land Harbaugh. They were calling him daily, setting up private planes for him to fly to New York, and they finally got him in the building for an in-person interview that afternoon. Just hours later, it appeared the two had come to an agreement and were working to get a contract done before he could interview anywhere else. And on Thursday morning, it was made official.

Schultz also added to his report that Harbaugh’s contract is expected to be a five-year deal worth $100 million, which will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NFL. That figure is very close to what he was earning in Baltimore.

There are still plenty of changes to be made to the rest of the staff, but the Giants have the big one figured out. They landed the best coach available, and it certainly helped that Harbaugh already had his eyes on the Giants’ job since he left Baltimore.