The Cleveland Browns are just over a day into their search for a new head coach, but they have already reached out to at least one of the top candidates currently in the job market.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Tuesday, January 6 that every team with an opening, including the Browns, contacted Super Bowl-winning coach John Harbaugh within hours of his dismissal by the Baltimore Ravens.
“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,” Schefter reported via X. “There currently are seven NFL head coach openings, including Baltimore’s.”
The implication is that one team that hasn’t even parted ways with its coach yet has reached out to Harbaugh about his potential interest, along with every other franchise currently looking: the Browns, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons.
John Harbaugh Among Most Accomplished Coaches in NFL Over Past 20 Years
GettyFormer Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
Harbaugh is 180-113 in the regular season across 18 years with the Ravens. He is also 13-11 in the playoffs all-time and has won a Super Bowl title (2012).
Baltimore was a missed field goal on Sunday night away from winning the AFC North division and making the postseason, even despite a 1-5 start to a year that was marred by injury issues from essentially start to finish.
But with Lamar Jackson’s future with the Ravens also up in the air, Baltimore may have decided to move on from Harbaugh and reset — either around Jackson or some other quarterback of the future — even if the team completed its once highly unlikely comeback bid for the postseason.
“I was hoping for a different kind of message on my last day here, someday, but that day has come today,” Harbaugh wrote in a statement, per NFL.com. “It comes with disappointment certainly, but more with GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION.”
Based on the utterly complete level of interest in Harbaugh around the league, it appears likely that he will have a job within the coming weeks — and he may have his choice of them.
Browns Want to Hire Offensive-Minded Head Coach, Keep Jim Schwartz as Defensive Coordinator
GettyCleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Ironically, former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is almost just as sought after only hours into his free agency. Schefter reported on Monday that the Falcons, Giants and Titans were all interested in interviewing Stefanski for their open head coaching positions.
Schefter also said Tuesday that Cleveland might look for an offensive-minded head coach in 2026, which is the side of the football from which Stefanski came before taking the job six years ago.
The reasoning for that is two-fold. First, the offense is in need of a rebuild. GM Andrew Berry and team ownership would not commit to Shedeur Sanders as the starting QB in Cleveland moving forward. As such, a new quarterback in the coming NFL draft could be on the table.
The Browns also need to upgrade most of the offensive line and add a pass-catcher or two to the wide receiver group.
Second, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is a strong candidate for the position after fielding the No. 1 overall defense in 2023 and the No. 4 unit in the league this past season. But Schefter noted that Cleveland probably wants to keep Schwartz in his current position to maintain the success that side of the football has been able to achieve over the past three years.
Harbaugh came from the special teams side when he got the lead job in Baltimore nearly two decades ago, but the Browns were not good in that phase of the game at all in 2025 ,either.
Beyond that, Harbaugh drafted Jackson and helped develop him into a two-time MVP quarterback, which is an opportunity he might get again with another rookie QB in either 2026 or 2027 if he joins Cleveland.
Browns Contact Super Bowl-Winning Coach About Job Opening: Report