Story byJohn Fennelly, Giants WireSat, January 17, 2026 at 11:31 AM UTC·2 min readHow important was it for the New York Giants to get this latest coaching hire right? Important enough for co-owner John Mara, who is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer, to roll up his sleeves and do whatever is necessary to find the next leader of his franchise. That, as we know now, is former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who agreed with Mara and the Giants this week to take over as the franchise's next head coach, although an official contract remains unsigned. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut no one expected the ailing Mara to be so involved. He had already charged general manager Joe Schoen with the coaching search and appeared to be stepping away. Last week, reports surfaced detailing how Chris, the younger brother, was serving as the point person in the pursuit of Harbaugh, and how co-owner Steve Tisch was also taking a prominent role, lending his private jet for expediency. From Paul Schwartz of the New York Post:Mara, 71, is undergoing chemotherapy, and he let it be known to his doctors that once the season ended that he was going to be as involved as ever in the coaching search.