Total Pro Sports
More details have emerged on the Baltimore Ravens’ decision to fire beloved head coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday.
Two days after a heartbreaking season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens announced that they had fired John Harbaugh. The 63-year-old, who joined Baltimore in 2008, was the second-longest active tenured head coach, behind Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin.
Owner Steve Bisciotti shared the following statement on Harbaugh’s firing:
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 6, 2026
Soon after the Ravens broke the news, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini shared another bombshell on Harbaugh’s firing.
According to Russini, Harbaugh’s “refusal to entertain any conversations about potentially moving on from offensive coordinator Todd Monken” was a “key” factor in the Ravens’ decision to part ways.
Over the final weeks of the regular season, reports surfaced about a potential rift between John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson. Sure enough, Tyler Loop’s heartbreaking game-winning field goal miss in a 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was the last straw in the Harbaugh era.
Perhaps Harbaugh would have kept his job if the Ravens beat the Steelers and won the AFC North division crown. But a terrible 8-9 finish and non-playoff appearance was enough for Bisciotti to make a change.
With Baltimore firing Harbaugh, there are now seven head coaching vacancies. And according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New York Giants have Harbaugh high on their head coach wish list.
Sources: John Harbaugh is expected to emerge as a favorite for the head coaching job of the New York Giants.
Harbaugh will be in demand for many teams, not just the Giants.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2026
The Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans also have HC vacancies. And if Harbaugh is open to it, he could get interviews with most of those clubs.
Harbaugh will undoubtedly be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday. However, as we’ve seen with the Seattle Seahawks (Pete Carroll) and the New England Patriots (Bill Belichick), even all-time great coaches have an expiration date. And sometimes, a change is necessary to move a team forward, as the ‘Hawks and Pats are enjoying with Mike Macdonald and Mike Vrabel.
