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The New York Giants parted ways with a longtime senior executive just one day after introducing John Harbaugh as head coach.
Senior Vice President of Football Operations Kevin Abrams is leaving the organization. Abrams had been with the organization since 1999 and in a front office executive position since 2002, when he was assistant general manager.
Abrams had been a constant at the top of the organization through its plethora of general manager and coaching firings over the past decade. Abrams’ tenure in the front office spanned four general managers, including his own brief stint as interim GM in 2017, and seven head coaches before Harbaugh.
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New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh speaks to the media after being introduced during a press conference at the team’s NFL football practice facility. The event took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. (Adam Hunger/AP Photo)
Harbaugh’s arrival as head coach came with a different set of terms related to the organizational structure and his own power to shape it compared to previous Giants coaches.
Harbaugh is the first Giants coach who will report directly to ownership, bypassing a longstanding team tradition of the coach reporting to the general manager.
Giants’ Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Chris Mara told reporters Tuesday that Harbaugh will be the “most important cog” of the organization now and suggested that Harbaugh was a unique candidate with the leverage to negotiate such power.
“He’s going to be the most important cog in the wheel. Let’s put it that way. But in terms of the final say, this will be a collaboration between ownership, general manager and coach,” Mara said.
TRUMP CALLS JOHN HARBAUGH TO TAKE GIANTS HEAD COACHING JOB AFTER RAVENS MOVE BREAKING
“We’re just comfortable doing this with him. I think it might not have happened that way with anybody else. Everyone agreed, so we feel good.”
Harbaugh was endorsed for the Giants head coaching job by President Donald Trump several days before the hiring in a Truth Social post. Trump also said Harbaugh should “take the job,” in the endorsement. Harbaugh acknowledged Trump’s support at his introductory news conference Tuesday.
“It feels really great!” Harbaugh said when Pakinomist Digital asked how it felt to have the president’s endorsement. “I also noticed in that post that he said, ‘John take the job!’ So I thought [owner] John Mara could have had something to do with it.”
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Trump praised Harbaugh and the Giants for the hire while speaking to Pakinomist Digital late Monday night, hinting at a personal connection with the Harbaugh family.
“I like the coach. I like his brother,” Trump said. “They came up to see me about three months ago. They came up to see me at the White House with their mom and dad because the mother likes me and the father likes me and I think they like me. And he’s a great coach and he’s going to do well with the Giants, just like his brother is doing so well. They got something very special in their blood. And I’m happy for the Giants.”
