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John Harbaugh surrounded by media at the NFL owner’s meetings. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images If you are honestly assessing the New York Giants’ offseason, the biggest move by far has been the hiring of John Harbaugh as head coach. Free agency has been filled with mostly prudent decisions and has brought the Giants some nice players, but hasn’t transformed the roster into a title contending one.
NFL executives who spoke to The Athletic with the promise of anonymity also seem to see it that way.
“I think what they have done is pretty good to this point,” an exec said. “To get some familiarity, Likely is a good get for them. The key is, the two rookies from last year, (Cam) Skattebo and (Jaxson) Dart. They did the right thing by letting the receiver (Wan’Dale Robinson) go, but they do not have a lot there beyond (Malik) Nabers. I could see them drafting one of the receivers early on.”
Does early mean at No. 5 in the 2026 NFL Draft? Or, perhaps at No. 37? Harbaugh, of course, has insisted that need will not guide the Giants’ selection at No. 5.
The draft community seems to believe the Giants will draft whoever they see as the best player and address needs like wide receiver and interior offensive line later.
The two big-money signings the Giants made were tight end Isaiah Likely and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. One exec did not seem impressed.
“We liked Isaiah Likely,” another exec said. “They know him well. He is a good No. 2 (tight end). I’ve never been a huge fan of Edmunds. We were looking at linebackers, and that was not someone we spent a lot of time on. Nothing they did really scares you.”
Harbaugh, of course, is banking on Likely becoming a No. 1 tight end out of the shadow of Mark Andrews with the Baltimore Ravens. Likely’s three-year, $40 million contract certainly carries that expectation.
Edmunds, with a three-year, $36 million contract, is perhaps a questionable signing. Neither the Buffalo Bills, who had Edmunds for five years, nor the Chicago Bears, who had him for three, were willing to hand him second contracts. He is a two-time Pro Bowler, but his last Pro Bowl nod was in 2020.
Time will tell on both of those deals.
The Giants are, though, in a better place simply because of the reputation and credibility of the head coach.
