In the mad scramble to secure the services of former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh as their next head coach, it was Harbaugh who had to step in and tell everyone to pump the brakes.
He’ll be a head coach next year if he wants to be. But he’s not going to speed up the process after being fired by the Ravens after 18 seasons, 13 playoff appearances and 1 Super Bowl win.
“Former Ravens HC John Harbaugh is not expected to conduct any head coach interviews until next week,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Thursday, January 8.
Harbaugh is Best Fit as Head Coach For …
The team where Harbaugh seems like he would be best suited is the New York Giants, where the biggest media market in the country is starved for an NFL winner. And there only hope is the Giants, because the New York Jets just ain’t that guy, pal.
The Giants have the biggest built in advantage by being in New York, where there wouldn’t be a bigger stage for the most high profile coach to hit the open market in a decade. They als0 have a stable ownership group — something we can’t say for openings with the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns or Las Vegas Raiders.
The Giants also have a young quarterback who could become a star in Jaxson Dart, a great defense and a superstar wide receiver in Malik Nabers.
The runner-up spot for Harbaugh might be the Atlanta Falcons, where owner Arthur Blank seems like he’s ready to make a play for Harbaugh after firing Raheem Morris after 3 consecutive losing seasons.
“You know Atlanta has the talent,” Fox Sports Radio’s Jason Smith said. “You need someone with that cachet that will get everyone on the same page. John Harbaugh is that guy.”
Ravens Named No. 1 NFL Head Coach Opening
The other interesting part of this is figuring out who will take over for Harbaugh after 18 seasons.
USA Today’s Nate Davis listed the Ravens as the No. 1 NFL head coach opening out of the 8 jobs currently available — mostly because of the same reason that seemingly led Harbaugh to his walking papers. That’s 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, who saw his relationship to Harbaugh sour over the last few years, although the causes of which are still something of a mystery.
“They don’t come much better than two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson, who’s as dynamic as anyone who’s ever played the position,” Davis said. “Naturally, he has detractors — not yet able to win the Super Bowl and more pointed recent questions about his work ethic and relationship with Harbaugh. Jackson also tends to get banged up and misses a lot of practice time. Still, most teams would love to have such problems behind center.”
The Ravens have wasted little time bringing coaches in for interviews and have already spoken with Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Former Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh Gives Clear Message on Next Job