The Cleveland Browns are in the mix for John Harbaugh, but he is going to cost as much as any NFL head coach in history with regards to money and power.
Citing a league insider, Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland reported on Friday, January 9 that Harbaugh wants $20 million in annual salary, $10 million for his assistant coaching budget per season, final say across the entire roster and the right to handpick his own general manager.
Grossi called these terms “prerequisites” for Harbaugh to “even be interested in your job.”
New York Giants in Strongest Position to Meet John Harbaugh’s Demands
GettyHead coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens.
Even if Cleveland offers Harbaugh everything he wants, which could be problematic with general manager Andrew Berry still on staff following the team’s firing of former head coach Kevin Stefanski, that would not guarantee the Browns could acquire the former Baltimore Ravens lead man.
Other teams, such as the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants, are strong competitors for Harbaugh. They would most definitely remain in the mix were they to meet, or exceed, Harbaugh’s demands — even if the Browns meet them as well.
The Dolphins just hired a new GM, former Green Bay Packers Vice President of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Meanwhile, the Giants kept on general manager Joe Schoen this offseason after firing former head coach Brian Daboll during the year. Schoen is presumably on thin ice already after a 22-45-1 start to his four-year tenure in New York, which includes one playoff appearance and one postseason victory.
The Giants appear in the best position to give Harbaugh everything he wants, though it is unclear if any team will actually go so far as to fulfill all of his reported requirements.
John Harbaugh Has ‘Legitimate Interest’ in Browns’ Head Coaching Job
GettyFormer Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
The Browns already had Harbaugh’s attention, according to a report from Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on Thursday.
“The Browns will likely be on the list unless Harbaugh already has a slam-dunk job with another team,” Cabot wrote. “He’s believed to have legitimate interest in coaching the Browns, even with the uncertain quarterback situation and looming rebuild of the offense.”
Cleveland can offer Harbaugh a top-five defense as well as a strong rookie class. The Browns also have the distinct advantage of operating inside the AFC North Division, with which Harbaugh is intimately familiar and which will provide him the opportunity to play/beat his old team at least twice annually.
If Cleveland is willing to meet Harbaugh’s salary demands, which it can afford, his hiring may boil down to how much personnel power Berry is willing to cede and/or how much authority the Browns are willing to strip from their GM and hand over to Harbaugh.
Of course, any move to do so against Berry’s will could create unreconcilable differences or, at the very least, start the coach-front office relationship off on exactly the wrong foot. In that case, it would make much more sense for Cleveland to simply fire Berry and give Harbaugh everything he wants, though parting with the GM is not something the team has yet shown a willingness to do.
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