rewrite this title John Harbaugh reportedly broke news of joining Giants with epic line

Shortly after it was reported on Wednesday that former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh had left the New York Giants’ facility without having a signed deal in hand, he was spotted having dinner at Elia Mediterranean Restaurant with Giants general manager Joe Schoen and Giants senior player personnel executive Chris Mara. 

Tim Salouros, owner of the restaurant, spoke with Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated about a meal that Giants fans hope to fondly remember for decades to come. It sounds like Salouros may have been among the first people not employed by the Giants to learn that the club had won the Harbaugh sweepstakes. 

John Harbaugh’s first act as Giants head coach was to deliver a walkoff line for the ages

“I know I’ll be seeing you again soon,” Harbaugh reportedly told Salouros before leaving the establishment. 

Previous stories had linked Harbaugh with both the Tennessee Titans and the Atlanta Falcons for reasons related to franchise structure and salary-cap availability. However, it’s now assumed that Harbaugh went into the hiring process wanting to be won over by Schoen, the Mara family and others within the Giants. 

“From the day he got fired [on Jan. 6],” longtime New York sports reporter Ian O’Connor of The Athletic shared on Thursday morning, “John Harbaugh was thinking about leading the New York Giants out of that tunnel. He was picturing himself in that hat and in that jacket. The history of the league means a lot to him. Frankly, it always sounded like the other contenders had no chance.” 

Restaurant owner gave a humorous warning to John Harbaugh

Per Orr, Salouros saw that the mood during the meal was “festive” and “celebratory.” Nevertheless, Salouros didn’t miss the opportunity to send a message to Harbaugh. 

“After they were done eating, I told them, I know there’s a lot of tension in the room but, as a fan, please sign,” Salouros told Orr. “And if you’re not going to — I have a back door, and I’ll show you out that way.” 

Instead, Harbaugh and Co. posed for a picture that went viral and left many local football fans searching for the Elia menu.