In a year when the pool for coaching candidates is viewed as shallow, eight teams are now looking for a new head coach after Mike Tomlin stepped down in Pittsburgh, something I reported was likely to happen before the Steelers’ Week 18 victory over Baltimore. And while Tomlin is expected to sit out the 2026 season, the other main subject of that story, John Harbaugh, will not.

Harbaugh is the first domino that will affect the plans of many teams presently looking for a head coach. He’s the hot candidate, as has been widely reported, and franchises such as the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, and Tennessee Titans, as well as a few others, will go all out for him.

So, where do people believe Harbaugh ends up? Right now, the feeling from league insiders I’ve spoken with is that New York and Tennessee are the frontrunners for the former Ravens HC.

John Harbaugh may go to New York with a solid offensive line

Many have told me that Harbaugh to the Giants fits like a duck to water for a variety of reasons. They have a budding young star at quarterback in Jaxson Dart, possess several additional dynamic pieces on offense, such as Malik Nabers (the type of receiver Harbaugh always wanted in Baltimore but never had), and the makings of a solid offensive line.

Harbaugh had his first in-person interview with a team in visiting the Giants practice facility Wednesday. The fact that Harbaugh and Giants CEO John Mara share similar backgrounds also lends credence to the notion that Big Blue is a natural fit. In Harbaugh, the Giants will be acquiring the leadership and stability that Mara has desperately craved for the organization since the dismissal of Tom Coughlin in 2015. The belief is that Harbaugh will have an easy time working with general manager Joe Schoen, who some believed would be let go after the 2025 season.

The Tennessee Titans were mentioned in my article before the kickoff of the Week 18 games as a landing spot for Harbaugh. In fact, there was some thought in the league that the Ravens could trade Harbaugh to Tennessee and receive a Day 2 draft pick in return; obviously, that is not going to happen.

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As reported just a few weeks ago, Harbaugh has relationships and ties to several individuals within the Tennessee organization and has worked with many of them in the past. His ability to coexist with owner Amy Adams Strunk and general manager Mike Borgonzi will be a determining factor.

The Atlanta Falcons were a team I mentioned as a landing spot the day after Harbaugh was let go by the Ravens. Atlanta was the first organization Harbaugh interviewed with, and it is still seen as being in the running.