John Harbaugh is heading to Broadway, aiming to make his second act even better than his first.
Harbaugh didn’t have to wait long after the Baltimore Ravens fired him last week following 18 seasons. He had plenty of options and chose the New York Giants. His contract was still being finalized, according to three people with knowledge of his decision who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been signed.
The 62-year-old Harbaugh led the Ravens to the playoffs 12 times and won the Super Bowl following the 2012 season. He’s tasked with making the Giants relevant again.
The franchise has endured 11 losing seasons in the last 13 years. Harbaugh will be New York’s eighth coach in that span. A week after the Ravens moved on from Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin stepped down from the Pittsburgh Steelers following 19 seasons.
Tomlin may wait to begin his next chapter. The Steelers own his rights and a team would have to trade for him. He could work in television for a year or two before returning to the sideline.
Here are five coaches who spent a long time with one team and how they fared after they left:
Curly Lambeau
The man who founded the Green Bay Packers in 1919 and coached the team for 29 seasons. Lambeau led the Packers to six NFL championships and left after going 2-10 in 1949. He coached the Chicago Cardinals and the Washington Redskins for two seasons each. Lambeau was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
Bill Belichick
He led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl victories in 24 seasons between 2000-23. Belichick had just one winning season in four years after quarterback Tom Brady left the Patriots and was fired following a 4-13 finish in 2023. After working in the media for a year, Belichick returned to the sideline with the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels went 4-8 in his first season.
Sean Payton
In 15 seasons in New Orleans, Payton was 152-89 and won one Super Bowl with Drew Brees at quarterback. He left the team after the 2021 season as the winningest coach in franchise history. Payton spent a year working as a television analyst before returning to the sideline with the Broncos in 2023. He led them to the playoffs in 2024 and the No. 1 seed in the AFC this season. Denver (14-3) hosts Buffalo (13-5) in a divisional round playoff game on Saturday.
Andy Reid
Harbaugh’s mentor in Philadelphia, Reid spent 14 seasons with the Eagles from 1999-2012 and won more games than any coach in franchise history. But he lost his only Super Bowl appearance with the team. He quickly landed in Kansas City and built a dynasty around quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Reid has won three Super Bowls in 13 seasons with the Chiefs and lost two others. Before going 6-11 this season, Kansas City had won nine straight AFC West titles and played in eight straight conference championship games.
Pete Carroll
He spent 14 seasons in Seattle, led the Seahawks to one Super Bowl title and fell 1 yard short of back-to-back championships with Russell Wilson at quarterback.
Carroll had a winning record 11 times in Seattle but was ousted following consecutive 9-8 seasons in 2022-23. He sat out one season and came back to the sideline in Las Vegas but was fired after a disastrous 3-14 finish.
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