Following Loss to Steelers, Ravens Separate from Head Coach John Harbaugh

By: Sam Wilmeth

The Baltimore Ravens finished off a year characterized by disappointment and poor performance with a 26-24 loss to their long-time division rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

We all saw it.

A missed field goal by the otherwise reliable rookie kicker Tyler Loop ended a season of ups and downs that had culminated in what was thought to be Baltimore’s fighting chance to win the AFC North. The loss, giving the Ravens a final record of 8-9, did two things: First, the chance for success in the AFC North, and the playoff spot that came with it, disappeared.

Second, it seemed to put the final nail in the coffin of head coach John Harbaugh’s time with the Ravens.

​Prior to his release as head coach following the final game of the season, Harbaugh had been with the Ravens for 18 seasons. During his time as the winningest coach in franchise history, the Ravens saw four AFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl XLVII victory, the second in the team’s history. Harbaugh’s win record spoke for itself, but his tenure as head coach was amplified by renown for his ability to strengthen the team’s bond and mentality. Ultimately, the Super Bowl that current Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had promised the franchise back in 2018 was assumed to be the goal of Jackson and Harbaugh’s combined effort.

So, where did it all go wrong?

On January 6, Ravens owner Steve Biscotti called Harbaugh to inform him of his release as head coach for the franchise, only a couple of hours after the coaching staff concluded their end-of-season meeting and two days after the loss to the Steelers. Biscotti would go on to make a statement on X regarding his decision, expressing his appreciation for Harbaugh and the goals for the team moving forward.

“Following a comprehensive evaluation of the season and overall direction of our organization,” Biscotti posted, “I decided to make a change at head coach. Today I informed John that he has been relieved of his duties. [...] Our goal has always been and will always be to win championships. We strive to consistently perform at the highest level on the field and be a team and organization our fans take pride in.”

To some members of the Ravens staff, the move came as a shock — it had not appeared that a loss against the Steelers was going to end Harbaugh’s time with the team. Harbaugh had taken some criticism for his recent performance, but his winning record of the past carried enough weight.

However, with the “comprehensive evaluation of the season” in the scope of Biscotti’s assessment, the decision comes a little more into focus.

Sub par performances in September had already placed the Ravens behind in the standings. The team saw a single win in six games, tying the worst start in franchise history. A five game win streak soon after brought some hope back to fans; Jackson and Harbaugh looked like they were back to that connection that had defined them for seven years.

That was all cut short, though, when the Ravens dropped a number of crucial December games and were virtually pushed out of the playoffs. Among these games was a 28-24 loss to the Patriots, where the Ravens suffered a fourth quarter meltdown, blowing an 11 point lead.

Struggling in the fourth quarter was nothing new to the Ravens, however. Their week one loss to the Bills saw an even greater lead dwindle in the last 15 minutes of the game. According to players like Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, the problems were evident, but the cause was much more difficult to pinpoint.

"[We are] banging our heads on the wall about it at this point," Hamilton said after their loss to the Bills.

Truthfully, it still isn’t clear what exactly happened to the Ravens in the times when it really mattered, but it was likely more than one reason: Jackson had been playing through injuries the whole season, and was out for a significant portion of it; the relationship between him and Todd Monken, the Raven’s offensive coordinator, noticeably suffered; the coaching staff was under fire for playcalling decisions regarding Derrick Henry, the Ravens’ impressive running back who seemed to be taken out any time a final quarter crucially needed an impressive offensive run.

All of it was enough to make the Ravens go from Super Bowl prospects in the preseason to a cautionary tale of playcalling by the end. And even if Harbaugh couldn’t be blamed for all of this season’s blunders, the buck stops with the head coach. Harbaugh had overseen the coaching staff responsible for many of the failures this season, and compounded with a growing disconnect between him and Jackson, undoubtedly the team’s MVP, he was quickly thrown under the gun for a shaky season. 

The fans were tired, the team was underperforming, and it was time for a change.

Whether firing Harbaugh was the change they needed may never be fully clear, but at the moment, both him and the team are in no position to stop and lick their wounds. The Ravens now have to find a replacement for the longest tenured coach in franchise history. Rest assured, Biscotti and General Manager Eric DeCosta will not make the decision lightly. 

For the team, choosing a coach to replicate Harbaugh’s strong leadership and team building is important, but another major factor for a head coach is their goals moving forward with Lamar Jackson. After seven years on the team, the focus for any coaching staff is obvious: maximizing Jackson’s performance and output on offense. Where Harbaugh left off with him, a new coach will pick up, and how the future head coach develops Baltimore’s offense will likely be the most defining characteristic of their time with the franchise.

Interviews are already underway for the head coach position. Numerous people from around the league, including coordinators and coaches such as Brian Flores and Kliff Kingsbury. Flores seems to be a fan favorite for the position, but as of now, the Ravens have not made any decisions on who will replace Harbaugh.

As for Harbaugh, he is now the head coach of the New York Giants. Final negotiations for the position closed on Saturday with Harbaugh agreeing to a five-year, $100 million contract. In addition, Monken is likely to leave the Ravens and follow his former boss up north. With Harbaugh and his team, The Giants look to be in a good position to succeed; their young quarterback, Jaxson Dart, may find success under the same coach who developed Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson into the big name quarterbacks they are today.

It is a chance for Harbaugh to start fresh with a new franchise. The Super Bowl-winning coach can bring his talents to a new set of players, and the chance to win another one with a new team means that Harbaugh will be all the more likely to go down as a Hall of Fame coach and NFL legend. If it is anything like what we have seen with coaches like Andy Reid, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs following a long tenure as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, then new beginnings may be just what Harbaugh needs to shine.

There is a lot of speculation surrounding the future for Harbaugh and the Ravens. Such a dramatic change in a franchise always carries risk with it, but in the case of Baltimore, and Harbaugh for that matter, change may be a good thing. There is no reason to look back with disdain on a faulty season; rather, it is time to look forward. A new coach could be the key to unlocking Jackson’s potential as a team MVP, and in turn, that may be the key to a Super Bowl win. The Ravens aren’t throwing in the towel by firing Harbaugh, they are opening themselves up to new opportunities.

And Harbaugh isn't exactly being thrown to the wolves – finding a team like the Giants was an easy task. He brings skill and wins to any team he coaches. Picking him up would’ve been to the benefit of a number of teams. He has no intention of being left behind by the Ravens; Harbaugh will utilize a new team to solidify his place as a NFL legend.

Whether this change ends up being good or bad, something so monumental like the end of an era of coaching will shake the Ravens franchise. The 2026-2027 NFL season will be revealing for the futures of both Harbaugh and the Ravens, and without a doubt, the unravelling of each entities’ time in the NFL will be a very interesting watch.

With all of that said, though, it seems that the Ravens and Harbaugh are angled to head in a positive direction, meaning Ravens fans still feeling let down by the end of the last season may be able to hold on to hope for something better in the near future.