Sportsnaut
The moment the Baltimore Ravens fired John Harbaugh, he instantly became the most in-demand name in the NFL coaching carousel. That’s demonstrated by the fact that seven NFL teams expressed immediate interest in him, and he will likely have his pick of jobs around the league.
However, ESPN reported Saturday that Harbaugh will only interview with a select number of clubs. He gets to control the entire process, including who will be his general manager in 2026. With that in mind, we’re ranking the four best potential landing spots for him.
Two things land the Miami Dolphins on this list. First, owner Stephen Ross has a strong relationship with Harbaugh, and one of the biggest keys to longevity in the NFL is a great connection with the person who signs the paychecks. Harbaugh has that, and there’s no reason to think that Miami didn’t float new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan’s name to Harbaugh before naming him as the new leader of football operations. Ross would certainly allow Harbaugh to build this franchise his way, and the veteran head coach would likely be given four-plus years to create a culture as he sees fit. However, Miami doesn’t have much cap space to work with, and moving on from Tua Tagovailoa—while the right call—will both limit financial flexibility in the next two years and leave Harbaugh coaching a team in quarterback purgatory for just as long, if not longer.
Read More: NFL Cap Space by Team 2026
The Tennessee Titans have more than $100 million in cap space this offseason, premium draft capital, and a franchise-caliber quarterback prospect in Cam Ward. This is also a rebuilding club that desperately needs stability, which Harbaugh brings, and he will have the luxury of time. He boasts an excellent track record of building a coaching staff, meaning he can find the right offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to help mentor Ward and get the most out of him. From a pure roster perspective, Harbaugh could have great influence on shaping this Titans roster the way he wants. However, what pushes Tennessee to third on this list is the fact that the Titans retained general manager Mike Borgonzi, and he has no existing ties to Harbaugh. If Tennessee is willing to bring in a new GM or if Harbaugh is open to working with Borgonzi, this could be the spot.
There is only one knock on this job, and the New York Giants can easily take care of it. Harbaugh, much like Liam Coen did with the Jacksonville Jaguars, is the caliber of coaching candidate who has more than enough demand to influence decisions regarding the front office. In this case, that means telling New York that he will only consider the job if the Giants fire general manager Joe Schoen. Harbaugh could pick whatever GM he wants to work with, finding someone who shares his vision for the future of this team....
