The New York Giants are sitting pretty atop the NFC East right now, and with the trade deadline looming, you know they were sniffing around for some big moves. Turns out, Giants head coach John Harbaugh went all-out, confirming to reporters on Monday that he personally reached out to Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk to try and snag defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Yeah, you read that right: the coach called the owner, which is absolutely wild and not how things usually go down.
The Call That Broke the Mold
Harbaugh didn’t even try to hide it. “I did, I did. I left a message,” he said about his direct line to Strunk. His reasoning? He’s “gonna try everything” and “turn over every stone.” The man’s clearly not afraid to push boundaries when his team is looking to make a splash. He made it super clear, too: “I mean, I just, I’ll put it out there, man, we’re open for any call. Anybody wants to call us or call anybody. Call.” This wasn’t some quiet, behind-the-scenes maneuver either; The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones had already reported last week that Harbaugh made the call. It’s a move that certainly got the league’s attention, especially since the standard play is to go through a general manager, not straight to the top.
“Secret Society Oath”? Nah.
When asked about breaking any of the NFL’s unwritten rules, Harbaugh basically laughed them off. He’s not here for that “secret society oath” stuff. “We’re not like , we’re not part of any secret society oath that says you can only talk to somebody,” he stated emphatically. “We’re not in that. We didn’t get memoed on that. We’re not in that agreement. So like I said, anybody can call us. We won’t be adhering to that particular agreement.” You gotta respect the guy’s conviction, even if his unconventional approach didn’t actually land the star player. Ultimately, Simmons went to the Chicago Bears, with the Bears sending a pair of first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to Tennessee, and getting Simmons plus a fifth-round pick in return.
So, while the Giants didn’t get Simmons, Harbaugh’s willingness to go straight to the owner shows you exactly how aggressive he is in trying to improve his team. With the trade deadline fast approaching, that kind of no-holds-barred mentality could still mean big things for the G-Men.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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