John Harbaugh’s 18-year run as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, which peaked with a victory over his brother in Super Bowl XLVII, is now over. Harbaugh was fired on Tuesday, just days after the end of arguably the most disappointing regular season in team history and just nine months after he signed a three-year contract extension.
The Ravens, a popular preseason Super Bowl pick, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, given the tremendous 18 years we have spent together and the profound respect I have for John as a coach and, most importantly, as a great man of integrity,” team owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement.
“Throughout what I firmly believe is a Hall of Fame coaching career, John has delivered a Super Bowl championship to Baltimore and served as a steadfast pillar of humility and leadership. He and his family have deeply embedded themselves in this community. For these profound contributions, on and off the field, we should all be forever grateful.”
The departure of Harbaugh, who had been the NFL’s second-longest-tenured head coach, represents a major reset for a Ravens organization that has been one of the most stable in the NFL. It also marks the end of a successful era of Ravens football that seemingly had the potential to produce so much more.
Hired in 2008, Harbaugh was only the Ravens’ third head coach in their 30-year existence — and he’s their franchise leader in wins. The search for their fourth will begin in earnest. Expect to hear names such as Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula connected to the opening.
In 18 seasons at the helm of the Ravens, Harbaugh helped build a culture of consistency and stability that was envied by the rest of the NFL. He led the team to the playoffs 12 times, advanced to the AFC Championship Game four times and experienced just three losing seasons. His career highlight was winning Super Bowl XLVII following the 2012 regular season over brother Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers, culminating a five-season run that began his head-coaching career and saw the Ravens reach the conference championship three times.
However, Harbaugh and the Ravens found playoff success challenging to sustain. Over his last 13 seasons, the Ravens went just 4-7 in the postseason, and their one trip to the AFC championship in January 2024 resulted in a 17-10 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the most disappointing losses of Harbaugh’s career.
Disappointing playoff performances and a failure to win the sport’s biggest prize with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson are undoubtedly blemishes on Harbaugh’s otherwise strong resume in Baltimore.
“Our goal has always been and will always be to win championships. We strive to consistently perform at the highest level on the field and be a team and organization our fans take pride in,” Bisciotti said in the statement. “I will always be grateful for the extraordinary hard work and dedication displayed by John and his staff throughout the many successful years. I wish he, Ingrid and Alison all the best going forward.
“We now begin the challenging, but exciting, process of identifying the next leader of our football team.”
The 2025 season will also leave a mark. Baltimore was billed as having the most talented roster in the NFL. Yet, it started 1-5 and after getting back into the playoff mix with a midseason five-game winning streak, the Ravens were beaten three times at home in late November/December, including twice by division rivals. They were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 18 following a second loss to the Steelers that ended in a missed field goal as time expired.
Assuming he wants to keep coaching, Harbaugh immediately becomes the biggest name on the head-coaching market. He’ll almost certainly garner interest from teams such as the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans.
This story will be updated.