The New York Giants have one winning record since the 2017 NFL Season, and much of what this team has gone through is a bit similar to what the Denver Broncos recently went through. From 2016-2023, Denver had just one winning season, and it was, like the Giants' lone winning season, a nine-win campaign.
Denver tried and failed to get the head coach right and hired multiple first-timers. None of them truly worked out. And in the NFC, the Giants did something similar and not only could not get the head coach right, but could not get the QB right.
Fortunately for the G-Men, they may have found someone special in Jaxson Dart, who had plenty of flashes during his rookie season, and the Denver Broncos did get to see just how good Dart could be when the Giants came to Denver earlier this year. On Thursday, news broke that the Giants would be hiring John Harbaugh, and that move really does feel similar to the Denver Broncos hiring Sean Payton.
The New York Giants finally get serious at head coach, much like the Denver Broncos did in 2023
Both John Harbaugh and Sean Payton have been a head coach for 18 years in the NFL. Here are their respective records:
Harbaugh: 180-113
Payton: 184-108
Both coaches also won a Super Bowl within three years of each other, and both are now on their second head coaching stints. There comes a time where these dysfunctional franchises need to stop goofing around and need to get serious. It's clear that George Paton felt this way, as he had made some questionable coaching moves before Payton.
There is something to be said about bringing in a known commodity like both Payton and Harbaugh are. While it's good that the Giants aren't in the AFC West, they are clearly taking a similar route that Denver took. All of a sudden, the Giants have a proven, veteran head coach and a young QB who could breakout in year two.
The Denver Broncos brought in Sean Payton, who ended up picking his young QB, and the success since has been evident. It's nice that a franchise as dysfunctional as the New York Giants are finally turning the corner. The Broncos don't really care what the Giants do, but this move really feels like when Denver brought Sean Payton on board.
Only time will tell, though, if John Harbaugh can revive this franchise.