{"id":672894,"date":"2026-01-13T02:16:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T02:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/672894\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T02:16:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T02:16:21","slug":"john-harbaugh-takes-first-interview-of-nfl-coaching-carousel-after-having-preliminary-talks-with-five-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/672894\/","title":{"rendered":"John Harbaugh takes first interview of NFL coaching carousel after ‘having preliminary talks with five teams’"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JAKE FENNER, US SPORTS WRITER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 19:56 EST, 12 January 2026 | Updated: 19:56 EST, 12 January 2026 <\/p>\n

The Atlanta Falcons<\/a> publicly announced on Monday that they’ve interviewed John Harbaugh for their head coaching vacancy.<\/p>\n

Atlanta fired head coach Raheem Morris mere hours after the final game of the regular season.<\/a> They also announced the firing of general manager Terry Fontenot at the same time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This marks the first interview Harbaugh has taken since he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> last Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Harbaugh has been conducting preliminary phone calls with the New York Giants<\/a>, Tennessee<\/a> Titans, Cleveland Browns<\/a>, Las Vegas<\/a> Raiders and Arizona<\/a> Cardinals, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.<\/p>\n

Sources told Schefter that Harbaugh plans to meet with teams this week and next before ultimately deciding which team to coach for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

The 63-year-old coach is one of the most successful in NFL history – having led the Ravens from 2008 until the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

\"Former <\/p>\n

Former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has interviewed for the vacant Falcons job<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Falcons fired former head coach Raheem Morris just hours after the season ended<\/p>\n

He is 12th all-time in wins by an NFL head coach and guided Baltimore to a victory in Super Bowl XLVII in 2012<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2019, Harbaugh was named the NFL’s Coach of the Year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prior to his firing, he was the second-longest tenured head coach with one team in NFL history at 18 seasons. He was only behind Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, at 19 seasons.<\/p>\n

However, in recent years, Harbaugh hasn’t managed to lead his teams to postseason success.<\/p>\n

From 2022 to 2024, the Ravens made the playoffs each season – but put up a record of 2-3. They lost the 2023 season’s AFC Championship game to the eventual Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then, in this season, the Ravens were the preseason favorites to win a Super Bowl title. Instead, they finished 8-9 under Harbaugh and missed the playoffs entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harbaugh is the fifth candidate to have interviewed for the Falcons job. ESPN reports that former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will have also been vetted for the position as of Monday.<\/p>\n

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