The New York Giants are enjoying a renaissance under head coach John Harbaugh. They not only sit atop the NFC East with a 4-2-1 record but are also assured of remaining there despite having their bye this week.

Harbaugh, for his part, wants to make sure the Giants stay in first place, so much so that a report from The Athletic claims the 64-year-old head coach took the initiative and made a direct call to Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk regarding defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.

Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick were ultimately traded by the Titans to Chicago in exchange for first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, and a 2027 fourth-round pick.

It shows that Harbaugh, who, remember, does not report to general manager Joe Schoen but instead reports directly to team ownership, isn’t playing around or waiting, and that he will do everything possible to ensure he gets what he wants for the team.

A Clear Message and Goal

The fact that Harbaugh reached out to the Titans directly is telling. Such aggressive moves, made at the expense of the team’s draft assets, suggest the roster, while solid, still has multiple glaring holes for Harbaugh and his goal of getting the Giants over the finish line in first place.

As a result, rather than sitting back and investing in young talent via the 2027 draft, which may or may not work out and won’t help them win the division in 2026, he has chosen to be proactive and aggressive in acquiring players who are not only established but also under contract for multiple years.

It’s a sharp change of direction from the patient “build via the draft” approach the organization has used for years, one that produced far too many swings and misses.

Had the Giants been able to land Simmons, they would have had arguably one of the best and most established defensive tackles in football under contract through 2030, which to put into perspective is roughly the length of a first-round pick’s rookie contract with the fifth-year option exercised.

This is the same approach the Giants are reportedly taking with Taylor, the 27-year-old 2021 league rushing leader and three-time Pro Bowler, who, per ESPN, is now on the trade block.

Taylor, a 2020 second-rounder, is under contract through 2028, one year shy of the standard four-year rookie deal typically given to a Day 2 draft pick.

With the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline coming up, it would not be surprising if the Giants go all out to give Harbaugh the running back he wants. He recently shared some insight into how he views the position.

“I would love for us to be in that kind of a circumstance — a Derrick Henry circumstance or a Saquon Barkley circumstance, or whatever it might be,” he told reporters after being asked about the sudden release of running back Najee Harris. “That would be great.”

With no defensive tackles believed to be available via trade who might warrant the kind of haul the Titans got for Simmons, it will be interesting to see whether the Giants can work with the Colts to give Harbaugh his wish.

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