One of the most renowned NFL coaches of the modern era, John Harbaugh, is on the open market, and interest is reportedly already sky-high. The Baltimore Ravens showed their head coach of 18 years the door this week, following an 8-9 campaign, but the veteran coach isn’t expected to have trouble finding a new job in the league.
But where does he want to go?
NFL Insider Mary Kay Cabot Says John Harbaugh Is Interested in the Browns
While the Ravens sent Harbaugh packing, the Cleveland Browns fired head coach Kevin Stefanski after another losing season. The Browns have already begun their search for a replacement, with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz scheduled to sit for an interview.
Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot, however, reported that Cleveland is very much interested in picking up the former Ravens head coach.
“He’s believed to have legitimate interest in coaching the Browns, even with the uncertain quarterback situation and looming rebuild of the offense,” she wrote.
Supporting a strong argument that Harbaugh could end up in Cleveland is the fact that he grew up as a Browns fan. His mom and dad both hail from the city, with all of his mom’s family also being from Cleveland and his dad’s family being Browns supporters.
“My mom is from Cleveland and went to Shaw High School over there in East Cleveland,” he said back in 2018. “My dad is from Crestline, Ohio, which is about an hour and a half south of there, and they met at Bowling Green State University. All of our family on my mom’s side is from Cleveland, and all of my family on my dad’s side is Browns fans. We all grew up Browns fans.”
While he’d be joining his childhood team, the Browns are still heated rivals of the Ravens. How Harbaugh would be welcomed in the Dawg Pound would be interesting to see. Moreover, how Ravens fans would receive him if he entered M&T Bank Stadium as a Brown might be even more intriguing.
Coaching the Ravens, Harbaugh recorded a 28-8 career record against the Browns, establishing himself as a fierce rival of the Cleveland sports landscape.
Taking on the Browns’ head coaching role, however, does present several challenges. The defense might be a Super Bowl contender, given its showing this season, but the offense is far from complete.
The offensive line needs improvement, and Harbaugh would be tasked with addressing the quarterback situation and the depth at wide receiver.