John Harbaugh on verge of being Giants’ next head coach

The Giants are going to get their guy. 

All signs point to John Harbaugh becoming the 21st head coach in franchise history, The Post has learned. 

The Giants got the first shot at Harbaugh when they brought him into their team facility for a formal interview Wednesday. They took him to an early dinner and sent him back to his home in Baltimore, seemingly not able to close the deal. But the situation got cooking in the evening and it looks as if all that remains is for the two sides to put together the finishing touches on a contract that will lead to one of the more monumental moments in team history. 

This outcome will be what the Giants and their victory-starved fans have been waiting for ever since Harbaugh was fired by the Ravens on Jan. 6 after a highly successful 18-year stay. Harbaugh instantly moved to the top of the candidates list and teams around the NFL with head coach vacancies instantly made moves to get Harbaugh. The Giants were all-in on him from the outset and their efforts are close to being realized. 

The Giants wanted to be first to get Harbaugh in their building, cognizant that the Titans and Falcons were waiting in the wings and that Harbaugh had legitimate interest in both of those teams as well. It appears as if being first meant the Giants did enough to convince Harbaugh that he did not need to take any further interviews. 

The Giants after meeting with Harbaugh for several hours took him to an early dinner at Elia Mediterranean Restaurant in East Rutherford before Harbaugh returned to his home in the Baltimore area. The Giants and Harbaugh’s representation kept at it. 

A source close to Harbaugh told The Post in recent days that the “don’t let him out of the building” scenario was not completely out of the question, as far as the team that gets the first formal interview with Harbaugh conceivably making him an offer to secure his services and prevent him from looking elsewhere. 

As it turns out, that is what transpired. 

This is a major coup for the entire Giants operation. Speculation that Harbaugh would not want to work with general manager Joe Schoen turned out to be wildly incorrect. 

A source involved in the lengthy visit told The Post it “went well.” 

There has been no secret that Harbaugh was their first choice to replace Brian Daboll, who was fired 10 games into this past season, with the Giants sitting at 2-8 a season after they finished 3-14. Harbaugh was let go after the Ravens in their regular-season finale lost to the rival Steelers, eliminating the Ravens from the playoffs. 

The Giants pulled out all the stops. They sent co-owner Steve Tisch’s private plane to Baltimore to put up Harbaugh and charter him to their team facility in East Rutherford. This was in keeping in the full-court press the Giants put on and kept on for more than a week. 

Schoen has been in frequent contact with Harbaugh and his camp. Co-owner John Mara has made a pitch. Chris Mara, the Giants’ senior personnel consultant, had lunch with Harbaugh in Baltimore and met with him at Harbaugh’s home. Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning spoke with Harbaugh about the Giants. So did Brian Daboll, who was extremely complimentary about the entire Giants operation and is believed to have assured Harbaugh that he would have no problem working with Schoen, as Schoen believes in a collaborative approach. 

During his time with the Giants, Harbaugh also met quarterback Jaxson Dart, whose strong rookie season and potential is one of the Giants’ biggest assets. 

Harbaugh, 63, was 180-113 in the regular season and 13-11 in the playoffs in his nearly two decades with the Ravens. He won a Super Bowl after the 2012 season, in his fifth year as a head coach. Harbaugh is a CEO type of leader, with a background as a special teams coordinator. Thus, who he hired as his offensive and defensive coordinators will be essential to his future success. The Giants want to secure Harbaugh as their head coach and the rest will fall into place. 

It could take as much as $20 million a year to get Harbaugh. The Giants knew that going into this chase and financial considerations will not be an impediment if a negotiation is forthcoming. 

The Giants got their guy.