The Baltimore Ravens shocked the NFL world on Tuesday when they fired longtime HC John Harbaugh after 18 seasons at the helm. One of the most consistently successful and widely-respected coaches in the business, Harbaugh won a Super Bowl with the Ravens at the conclusion of the 2012 season and had navigated into a new era for the team with two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson at the helm.
However, despite repeatedly dominating the regular season with Jackson, the Ravens had been unable to break through to the Super Bowl. In seven full seasons with Jackson under center, Baltimore has three playoff wins and just one AFC Championship Game appearance. That led to frustration and a feeling of stagnation from many in Baltimore.
Then this season happened, with Baltimore’s injuries piling up, the defense bottoming out, and the offense sputtering at times with Jackson in and out of the lineup due to injuries. The Ravens finished the season 8-9 and missed the playoffs after a potential game-winning field goal in the final game of the season against the Steelers went wide right. Two days later, Harbaugh was out.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport on Why the Baltimore Ravens Fired HC John Harbaugh
GettyPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 04: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens speaks to the official during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
On Wednesday morning, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport appeared on Good Morning Football to discuss what led to Baltimore’s surprising decision to move on from Harbaugh:
“A dramatic move for the Baltimore Ravens,” Rapoport said. “[They] took an extra day to think about it, but this was always a possibility, but maybe one that most people did not want to acknowledge. I think if you would canvass people involved in this situation, including probably John Harbaugh, would’ve said, ‘You know what, maybe consider some staff changes,’ maybe move forward with the team that they had.”
“For owner Steve Bisciotti, staff changes were not going to happen, and it did seem Harbaugh was caught a little by surprise by this. There was a lot of focus on the job status of [Ravens OC] Todd Monken, where was that going to go. Instead, it was all about Harbaugh. What owner Steve Bisciotti did was canvass the building, talk to players, talk to Lamar Jackson, and decided it was time for the organization to go in a new — dramatically new — direction.”
“It did seem like a lot of the focus here was to find someone to reach Lamar, to invigorate Lamar, to find him, right?” Rapoport continued. “I mean that’s sort of what we’re talking about here. I’m not saying it was like they chose the quarterback over the coach, it’s not like that. It’s just, which coach can come in and get the absolute most out of the two-time MVP [who] just had a weird year in a year where a lot of the people in the building were wondering, ‘Is Lamar okay? What’s wrong with him? How can we get to him?'”
Ian Rapoport on Former Baltimore Ravens HC John Harbaugh’s Options
“The goal for the new leader of the organization is to find someone who can get the absolute most out of their superstar talented quarterback,” Rapoport said on the Ravens’ goals for their head coach search. “Which means John Harbaugh, who for years did exactly that in Baltimore before it was time to find a new voice, he now becomes the top candidate on the market.”
“You guys mentioned the Giants — by the way, they’re interviewing [former Browns HC] Kevin Stefanski today. So Giants fans get their wish after [Giants GM] Joe Schoen had dinner with him last night. But I do expect the Giants to interview John Harbaugh, I expect the Titans to be in the mix. Maybe not as much the Raiders, because then he’d have to go against his brother twice a year in the division, but John Harbaugh’s going to have options. One of the best culture-builders and CEO-type head coaches that there is in the NFL. He is not going to be out of work long.”
Insider Provides Details on Ravens Decision to Fire John Harbaugh