Sportsnaut
ESPN analyst and Baltimore Ravens veteran Chris Canty has nothing but respect for John Harbaugh. However, that did not stop him from suggesting on Tuesday that the coach’s tenure in Maryland needs to come to an end later this year.
On Sunday, Baltimore’s season took another dark turn as they fell to 1-5 on the season following a fourth straight loss, this time to the Los Angeles Rams. It now looks like a team that had Super Bowl hopes will not even make the playoffs this season.
Fans and pundits ripping Harbaugh is to be expected. But the team has been decimated by injuries to key players, including superstar Lamar Jackson the last two weeks. So he will get a pass with many. But not Canty. He believes the Ravens need to move on from Harbaugh. Not just because of their results in 2025, but also after several missed opportunities with Jackson as quarterback.
“I have full respect for John Harbaugh. I played for him for the final three years of my career. I think he’s one of the finest head coaches in the National Football League,” Canty said on a Tuesday edition of First Take. “But that doesn’t mean things haven’t run their course in Baltimore.
“You have a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Lamar Jackson in the middle of his prime. The objective every single season should be to win a championship. And it should be inexcusable that John Harbaugh, over the last decade, has only three playoff wins,” he added. “And at no point during that span has he won multiple playoff games in the same postseason. How long are you supposed to wait around for Harbaugh to figure it out with Lamar Jackson?”
Currently, the Ravens have a 1% chance to make the playoffs this year. It would be just the second time Harbaugh’s team has not reached the postseason over the last eight years. That’s why it would seem ludicrous to fire a coach who won a championship in 2012 and has been to the playoffs in 12 of his 18 years leading the team.
However, Canty does make an interesting point. Harbaugh has had the best QB of his career for the last eight seasons. A player who has won two MVPs and been to the Pro Bowl four times during that span. Having three playoff wins since Jackson entered the NFL is not a good look.
While it would be very dangerous to move on from Harbaugh, a case can be made that maybe the franchise needs a new approach and voice after 18 seasons with Harbaugh. Chances are they don’t make a move in the offseason, but there will definitely be added pressure on the coach heading into 2026.
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