John Harbaugh hasn’t even completed his first season with the New York Giants, but he’s already found a way to bring Tom Brady into the conversation.
While discussing J.J. McCarthy’s upcoming first start for the Giants, Harbaugh used Brady as a hypothetical example of why even an all-time great quarterback would need time to learn a new offense. The comparison quickly turned into a playful challenge directed at the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
“If Tom Brady decided he wanted to come back from retirement and actually could, which I doubt for one second he could, no matter what he thinks, you heard me, Tom — I don’t think he’d be ready the first week,” Harbaugh said Friday, according to CBS Sports. “As much as you might want to put him in there, it wouldn’t be in the best interest to play him the first week. There’s a lot of things going on there.”
In other words, Harbaugh wasn’t seriously recruiting Brady to New York. He was making the point that even someone with Brady’s experience would need time to learn the terminology, plays, and expectations of a new offense.
“If Tom Brady decided he wanted to come back from retirement – and actually could, which I doubt for one second he could, no matter what he thinks, you heard me Tom – I don’t think he’d be ready the first week”
John Harbaugh with a playful jab at Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/Vmuxur6QPV— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) October 23, 2026
Brady officially retired from the NFL in February 2023 after 23 seasons, following a brief retirement the year before that lasted only 40 days.
This time, Brady made a point of saying the decision was final. In his announcement, he referenced the emotional retirement message he had delivered a year earlier, saying he had already used up his “super-emotional retirement essay.” ESPN reported at the time that Brady was retiring “for good” after finishing his career as the NFL’s all-time leader in regular-season passing yards and touchdown passes.
The numbers behind Brady’s career are almost difficult to comprehend.
He finished with 89,214 regular-season passing yards and 649 touchdown passes, along with seven Super Bowl championships, five Super Bowl MVP awards and three league MVPs. Six of those Super Bowl victories came with the New England Patriots, while his final championship came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And yet, the idea of Brady returning hasn’t completely disappeared.
Brady Has Actually Asked About Coming Back
Brady said this spring that he asked about the NFL’s rules concerning whether he could play while holding his minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. The answer apparently wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“I actually have inquired, and they don’t like that idea very much,” Brady said. “We explored a lot of different things, and I’m very happily retired. Let me just say that, too.”
So while there is no indication Brady is actually preparing for another comeback, the seven-time champion has at least acknowledged that he looked into what would be required.
John Harbaugh Has a New Team and a New Quarterback
The Brady comments come during Harbaugh’s first season in New York after an extraordinary 18-year run with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens parted ways with Harbaugh in January after the team finished the 2025 season 8-9. Baltimore had made the playoffs 12 times during his tenure and won Super Bowl XLVII during the 2012 season.
Harbaugh didn’t remain unemployed for long. The Giants moved quickly to bring him to New York, and he was officially named the franchise’s new head coach on Jan. 20. Now, he’s dealing with a very different situation at quarterback.
The Giants traded for McCarthy last month after Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending injury. McCarthy then came off the bench during the Giants’ Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints, throwing for 243 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter while leading three scoring drives. Harbaugh subsequently named him the starter for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.
