There has been a lot of whining by Baltimore Ravens fans lately about letting former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald leave and become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks before the 2024 season.
The sentiment is that current head coach John Harbaugh was already cooked back then and the Ravens should have done the tough thing and given him his walking papers to keep Macdonald in the fold.
Instead, they’re watching Macdonald and the Seahawks make a late charge for the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs while the Ravens’ playoff hopes are on life support at 7-8 overall with 2 games left in the regular season.
Instead of whining about Macdonald, maybe the focus should be on not making the same mistake twice.
Instead, the Ravens should, if they truly are set on getting rid of Harbaugh, cut bait as soon as possible and make a play for Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator and former Ravens assistant Jesse Minter, arguably the NFL’s top head coaching candidate in the upcoming cycle.
Minter was a defensive assistant coach for the Ravens under John Harbaugh from 2017 to 2020. He’s currently an assistant for Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. He was also the defensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan in 2023 on the way to winning a College Football Playoff National Championship.
“Minter is the league’s most exciting young defensive coordinator, and it’s possible he fields calls from every team with a head coaching vacancy this winter,” The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz and Diante Lee wrote in their NFL head coach candidate rankings. “… Like Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, Minter got his biggest break in the NFL with John Harbaugh and the Ravens.”
Defense Glaring Issue for Ravens in 2025
If John Harbaugh loses his job, a big reason will be because of his team’s defensive failings this year.
Despite having a wealth of top level talent like safety Kyle Hamilton and inside linebacker Roquan Smith, the Ravens have struggled to put together a competent defensive front — most notably at edge rusher.
The Ravens are 27th in the NFL in team defense after finishing in the Top 10 in the NFL in team defense the last 3 seasons.
“If the Ravens fire John Harbaugh they will automatically jump to the top of the head coach openings,” Ravens fan Garrett Ferguson wrote on X. “Silver linings.”
Odds Against Ravens to Make AFC Playoffs
The odds seem pretty stacked against the Ravens to make the AFC playoffs after a 28-20 home loss to the New England Patriots in Week 16.
“The Ravens now have just one way to make it into the postseason,” USA Today’s Ayrton Ostly wrote on Monday, December 23. “The path is as follows: Ravens win final two games AND Steelers lose to Cleveland Browns in Week 17. Had the Ravens beaten the Patriots, they would have remained in control of their own destiny, as winning out would have allowed them to overtake the Steelers in the tight divisional race.”
The Ravens are on the road for the final 2 games of the regular season; at the Green Bay Packers in Week 17 and at the Steelers in Week 17.
Even worse for the Ravens? There’s a good chance they don’t have 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson for either game after he left the loss to the Patriots with a back contusion in the first half.
Ravens Urged to Dump John Harbaugh for Former Assistant