The John Harbaugh sweepstakes is starting to heat up.
The recently fired former Baltimore Ravens head coach logged the first of what should be several interviews for head coaching positions on Monday, January 12, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting he met with the Atlanta Falcons about their opening.
“While the Falcons announced an official interview with former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, he already has been conducting preliminary and extensive phone calls with the Giants, Titans, Browns, Raiders and Cardinals, per sources,” Schefter wrote on X. “He is trying to determine who to meet with later this week and into next week before making a decision. He is fully expected to coach in 2026, per sources.”
Harbaugh was fired by the Ravens on January 6, following 18 seasons, 13 playoff appearances and one Super Bowl win.
The Ravens were Super Bowl favorites headed into 2025 but started the season 1-5 and ultimately went 8-9 overall and missed out on a playoff spot with a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the regular season finale.
The Falcons recently hired former quarterback and NFL MVP Matt Ryan as president of football operations.
“John Harbaugh talked to Matt Ryan of the Falcons, but not in person,” The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor wrote on X. “My understanding is no in-person interviews on the docket as of yet.”
SNY’s Connor Hughes reported recently that the belief among other top head coaching candidates is that the New York Giants and Falcons are the front-runners for Harbaugh and that all the other jobs will fall in line once he decides.
What Harbaugh Would Inherit With Falcons
The Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris after 3 seasons and consecutive 8-9 records on January 4 — the same day they fired general manager Terry Fontenot.
The real seed to Morris’ downfall was planted on the first day of the 2024 NFL draft, when Morris and Fontenot made the genius move of drafting quarterback Michael Penix in the first round, with the No. 8 overall pick, and just one month after they signed free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to a 4-year, $180 million contract.
As you can probably guess, that move caused chaos within the organization. The Falcons benched Cousins at the end of 2024 for Penix, who looked lost as the starter in 2025 and tore his ACL in Week 10, ending his season. With Cousins back in the starting lineup, the Falcons went 5-2 to close out the regular season.
Outside of Penix, the Falcons have one of the best groupings of young talent in the entire NFL, led by running back Bijan Robinson and a pair of elite young edge rushers in James Pearce and Jalon Walker.
Falcons Need Steady Hand: Ryan & Harbaugh Fit Bill
The biggest thing Harbaugh could bring to the Falcons is a steady hand — essentially the same reason owner Arthur Blank has turned to Ryan to help turn around the franchise.
The Falcons have endured a terrible decade. They haven’t had a winning season or made the playoffs since going 10-6 and losing in the NFC Divisional Round in 2017 and Harbaugh would be their fourth head coach since 2020.
“I will say this for folks who don’t like the idea of John Harbaugh to the Atlanta Falcons,” Atlanta sports talk radio host Mike Bell wrote on X. “I would never have thought Dan Reeves 3rd act here in Atlanta would’ve led to a Super Bowl appearance.”
NFC Team Lands First Interview With Former Ravens HC John Harbaugh