It’s only been four days since the Baltimore Ravens decided to part ways with longtime head coach and Super Bowl winner John Harbaugh, but it already feels like a whirlwind of information and updates have come out as a result. In the days since he was let go by the Ravens, Harbaugh has become the most sought-after coach on the market and is the leader in at least one of the many head coaching searches ongoing across the league.
On Saturday, we got even more behind-the-scenes insight thanks to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Jeff Zrebiec. They wrote a great piece detailing how the Ravens’ decision to fire Harbaugh came together in the hours after Baltimore lost to the Steelers in the season finale, in a game in which the winner won the AFC North and hosted a playoff game.
The Ravens were agonizingly close to the playoffs, but even had they made it, it was a disappointing regular season. Despite having two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson under center (aside from the couple of games he missed with various injuries), Baltimore’s offense was inconsistent throughout the season. Worse, the usually-stout defense fell off a cliff, ranking near the bottom of the league in most defensive stats and metrics.
How Baltimore Ravens Players Felt About Former HC John Harbaugh’s Firing
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)
One of the themes that Zrebiec and Russini continually harped on in their article was surprise. No Ravens player seemed to think this was in the cards. Harbaugh was a fixture in Baltimore, but more than that, he was a good and well-respected coach.
“We exited the meeting thinking there would probably be a few coaching staff changes, maybe a coordinator change,” one veteran Ravens player said, speaking anonymously so he could speak freely. “That’s usually how it works. Then, the next day, everything got turned on its head. I was shocked.”
Baltimore Ravens Players on if Former HC John Harbaugh Lost the Locker Room
Zrebiec and Russini noted some Ravens players felt Harbaugh was a bit out of touch with the younger players and sent conflicting messaging, like telling them to focus just on the next game before talking about the wider future. But several other Baltimore players felt otherwise.
“There wasn’t the best relationship with your star players, but I don’t think people were necessarily at the fed-up stage,” one Baltimore player said. “It’s hard to please 50-plus guys, and when you’re losing, everything is magnified. But I never had the sense that this was really bad, and he lost the locker room. Other guys might tell you differently.”
“That’s always an easy blanket statement when a coach who has been there a long time gets fired,” another Ravens veteran said, pushing back hard on the idea that Harbaugh lost the locker room. “But I don’t remember any instances where guys thought he lost the team.”
Insiders Reveal Ravens Players True Thoughts on John Harbaugh’s Firing