John Harbaugh will apparently narrow the list of teams he is interested in coaching before doing any interviews.
The former Ravens head coach told Fox Sports on Saturday that even though a number of teams have reached out to him since he was fired Tuesday, he will only take interviews with three or four teams.
According to noti.group’s Paul Schwartz, the word from those familiar with Harbaugh’s thinking is that he is amenable to sitting down and talking with Joe Schoen, in place as Giants general manager, and that Harbaugh will consider the structure already in place with the team he is considering.
Nevertheless, Harbaugh was successful for 18 years with Baltimore by doing it his way, and he could want his new employer to make financial commitments to his coaching staff and any improvements he would want to the facilities or the entire program.
According to Schwartz, there have been no overtures to anyone about Harbaugh’s salary.
He made $17 million a year in Baltimore, behind only Andy Reid ($20 million) and Sean Payton ($18 million). He is going to get paid commensurate with his status as a Super Bowl-winning, free agent head coach in great demand. That is only part of the outlay teams might have to make to get him.
Aside from the Ravens and the Giants, the Cardinals, Falcons, Browns, Raiders, Dolphins and Titans all currently have a head coaching vacancy.
Though Harbaugh is a hot commodity, the Giants continue to interview other candidates, the latest being the Seahawks’ fast-rising offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who conducted a virtual interview with the team Saturday, according to an NFL Network report.
Kubiak has led Seattle to the NFL’s No. 3 scoring offense this season.
The Giants also held a virtual interview with Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
The 63-year-old Harbaugh — who led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in the 2012 season — ranks 12th for most wins by a head coach in NFL history with 193.
In leading the Ravens for 18 seasons, Harbaugh was the second-longest active coach in the league behind Mike Tomlin, who is in his 19th season with the Steelers.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
