Cam Skattebo has never been one to sugarcoat his thoughts or shy away from being honest. Entering his sophomore NFL season with the New York Giants, he doesn’t plan on changing that. Thus, when asked about his relationship with head coach John Harbaugh, the power back brushed off rumors of them being on bad terms.
Skattebo and Harbaugh may not be two peas in a pod, but they get along and share a common goal. Skattebo made his stance clear with complimentary remarks about Harbaugh and his first few months at the Giants’ helm. Coming off the season-ending injury that cut his rookie year short, Skattebo knows he is in for a big test in the 2026 NFL season.
It’s been a long recovery journey, one that Skattebo admitted even had him considering retirement from the NFL, but he can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. It would be a shame for his progress to be tarnished by reports of vitriol between him and his head coach, so Skattebo made sure to nip them all in the bud.
“Me and [John Harbaugh], we’re on the same page, we love each other,” Skattebo said on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams. “Me and him talk every single day, there’s no bad blood between us.“
John Harbaugh head coach of the New York Giants
Harbaugh called out Skattebo
The rumor mill around Skattebo and Harbaugh has been busy for a while. Everything started when Skattebo was the lit match that led to a fight in practice between the Giants’ offense and defense. After the session, Harbaugh explained how the running back’s energy is a double-edged sword the team must keep in check. His analogy came off a bit harsher, though.
“He got a 15-yard penalty at the end of practice. Did you see that? Yeah, it’s infectious. It can be infectious the other way, an infectious disease type of thing. We want it to be in a positive way,” Harbaugh said weeks ago about the energy Skattebo brings day in and day out in East Rutherford.
Skattebo clears the air
The buzz hinting at a rift between the first-year head coach in New York and the second-year halfback only grew louder as the two were caught by cameras having a not-so-friendly talk during a preseason game. Of course, that clip has been bastardized and taken out of context. During his interview with Kay Adams, Skattebo cleared the air on both controversies involving him and the Super Bowl-winning head coach.
“I think that comment was more so that what I did was infectious, an infectious disease in that moment. And not that I’m an infectious person. I think that’s how he meant it. We didn’t really talked about it, we kind of moved on from it. It wasn’t a big deal,” Skattebo commented on Harbaugh’s message about him back during training camp.
About the recent sideline controversy, “Skatt” made it clear it was only a conversation about game situations, and nothing personal. With the controversy cleared out of the way, the G-Men can focus on what’s really important and that is their upcoming season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. On the first Sunday Night Football of the 2026 season, the Giants will wear their traditional Big Blue uniforms.
NY Giants leave drama behind
Although most fans knew better than to read too much into the social media-led controversy around Skattebo and Harbaugh, it’s valuable for the running back to address the issue and put it to rest.
The Giants have much bigger fish to fry going into the 2026 NFL season and have put together a strong roster to make some noise. It would be a shame for off-field narratives to derail the campaign before it even starts.
