New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh hit on a number of hot-button topics during a sit-down with media On Monday at the NFL owner’s meetings, including the idea that he would consider bringing Odell Beckham Jr. back to the Giants.
Here are some of the takeaways.
‘Odell is an option’
Beckham, 34, would like to return to the NFL after not playing in 2025. His one-handed touchdown catch in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic has diehard Beckham boosters in the Giants fan base dreaming of a return for the 2014 first-round
pick.
Harbaugh coached Beckham in Baltimore in 2023, the last time Beckham was a productive NFL player. He did not dismiss the idea.
“You look at every option, right? If Odell is an option then we’ll be looking at it,” Harbaugh said. “He and I do talk and we do text, and we’ve maintained a really great relationship. He’s one of my very favorite people in the world.
“We’ll have to see where it all goes. What’s best for him, what’s best for the Giants. That’s the number one thing, what’s best for our team.”
Offensive line ‘a work in progress’
In saying that the offensive line remains “a work in progress”, Harbaugh made a point that I have been trying to make for a while. The Giants don’t have a game for 5½ months.
“We don’t play until September,” Harbaugh said. “We have a lot of work to do.
“The offensive line and defensive line … that’s where games are won and lost, that’s where it starts. We’ve gotta try to build the best offensive line and the best defensive line in football, that’s gotta be our goal … We’re gonna sure try.”
The Giants have yet to make any big additions on either line.
“We’ve got work to do in there,” Harbaugh said. “We still have free agency available to us, we still have the draft.”
The Giants have brought back Evan Neal and Josh Ezuedu to compete on the offensive line. Both are highly-drafted players who have not found success in their four seasons with the team.
“They have big dreams,” Harbaugh said. “If they’re going to dream big, I’d like them to do it right here in our building and try to realize those dreams with us. We’ll give them a shot to do that.”
On drafting RB Jeremiyah Love at No. 5
The business side of football is often pointed to as a reason why running backs are not often selected near the top of the NFL Draft. Harbaugh offered a counter to that argument on Monday when asked about Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
“The business is football. We are a football business, that’s what we do,” Harbaugh said. “We’re trying to make our fans happy. We want to win games. We want to be successful. We want them to come out to the stadium, and be happy after the game.
“To do that we’ve gotta build the very best team we can. You build the best team you can with the best players you can get.”
Harbaugh said Love is a “very, very good player. Put a couple very’s in front of that. Maybe a couple more.”
‘Establishing what we’re going to be about’
The Giants have been busy in free agency, even if they have not been splashy.
“I think we started establishing, I think, kind of what we’re going to be about as a football team,” Harbaugh said. “Free agency, it’s about opportunity. You try to build where you can, when you can with what opportunity presents itself. You can’t decide what’s going to be available, you can’t determine what options are going to be there for you.
“The right player at the right price that fits what we’re trying to do, that’s what we tried to do. I thought we did a really good of it.”
Harbaugh gave “kudos” to GM Joe Schoen and the front office.
“I’m really pleased with the way it operated,” he said. “I thought Joe was great. His group was great. Brandon [assistant GM Brandon Brown] was amazing. Dawn [Aponte] was great … I thought we operated at a really high level.”
Perhaps the splashiest signing in free agency was former Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely.
“He’s going to bring a lot to the table. He’s a talented football player,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a play-making football player. He’s going to make plays for us. I think Jxson’s going to really like him running the routes and being in his line of vision.
Busting out the shopping hungry line
Coaches and personnel people always use some variation of the “shopping hungry” line approaching the draft. Harbaugh did not disappoint. The coach admitted that despite the work that has been done, the Giants still have needs.
“You don’t want to go to the buffet table hungry,” Harbaugh said. “I think we’re in good position where we don’t. We don’t have to chase any specific need. At the same time, we understand we still have needs. That’s gonna be a factor. It’s definitely gonna be a factor in what we do.”
Playoffs? Yes, Harbaugh is talking playoffs!
Harbaugh did not shy away from talking about the playoffs when he was asked about expectations for the upcoming season.
“Our expectation is always going to be, every game we go into, to win. Every single game, we’re going to plan on going in to win that game… I’m pretty sure if we win every game, we’re going to make the playoffs, right? If my math is right.”
How do you get there? Well, you have to be prepared to win games in the fourth quarter.
“Every single team asks that question every single day. That’s what you’ve gotta find,” Harbaugh said. “You’ve got to build a team that has what it takes to find a way to make plays in the fourth quarter.”
Training camp travel might be ‘a good thing’
Because of complications from the World Cup being held at MetLife Stadium this summer, and major construction going on at the Giants’ practice facility, the organization had already decided to move its 2026 training camp to West Virginia before Harbaugh became head coach.
Harbaugh said it will be good for the players to “be about football” for 10-12 days in the hills, eat dinner together, have an off day together. “If it can help our team become a little closer, that’s a good thing.”
Harbaugh also said that despite the logistics the Giants will try to have one or two joint practices this summer.
