As far as NFL head coaches go, John Harbaugh still might have another decade left on the sideline at 62 years old.
It also means Harbaugh automatically becomes the top candidae for the 6 NFL other head coach openings outside after he was fired after 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens — and apparently even for a team who still has a head coach.
“In the first 45 minutes after John Harbaugh was fired this afternoon, his agent Bryan Harlan said he received calls from seven NFL teams expressing interest in his client,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on X on Tuesday, January 6. “There currently are seven NFL head coach openings, including Baltimore’s … Harbaugh now is expected to become the top head-coaching candidate in this hiring cycle, per multiple league sources. Multiple teams now are expected to be interested in hiring him, and his presence is expected to have big ramifications.”
In 18 seasons, Harbaugh went 180-113, won a Super Bowl following the 2012 season and made the postseason 13 out of 18 seasons. He just missed a 14th season with a heartbreaking, 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the regular season finale.
The current NFL head coach openings outside of the Ravens are the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants.
The most high profile of those jobs — the Giants — might be the best fit for Harbaugh.
Immediately Emerges as Top Candidate for Giants
While the other team in New York is a dumpster fire with the New York Jets, there’s still quite a bit of cache that comes with being the head coach of the Giants, who have won 4 Super Bowls in franchise history and were one of the 5 teams that started the NFL in 1925.
The Giants also need a head coach after they fired Brian Daboll following a 2-8 start to the regular season.
Harbaugh would be the perfect fit in New York, where he would get a chance to develop another young, dual-threat quarterback into a star with 2025 first round pick Jaxson Dart.
Harbaugh was already on the radar of the Giants before he was fired, according to The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor.
“… Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh and Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski … could potentially become available in the coming days,” O’Connor wrote on Saturday, January 3. “All three would move straight to the top of the Giants’ wish list of candidates in a job market that is almost as uninspiring as the Giants themselves.”
What Happened in Harbaugh’s Final Season
Harbaugh got a resounding vote of no confidence from the one player on the roster who truly matters in 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, who refused to say he wanted to continue playing for Harbaugh following the loss to the Steelers.
“You asking me about next year, Jamison, and I’m still caught up in what just happened tonight,” Jackson said when asked by ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “I can’t answer that right now. I’m still stunned. I’m still trying to process what just happened.”
Jackson’s intent was pretty clear.
“If I’m Harbaugh and I hear (Jackson) say that, I’m thinking one thing,” former NFL head coach and ESPN analyst Rex Ryan said on Monday, January 5. “I’m done.”
NFL Teams Line Up for Fired Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh