John Harbaugh ended his 18-year association with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday. He was fired after the Ravens failed to make the playoffs, with inconsistency being a key factor in their season’s downfall. The lack of playoff success since Lamar Jackson took over was the primary reason for Harbaugh’s firing, but neither side will have any regrets.
Could John Harbaugh Stay As a Head Coach in the AFC North?
Harbaugh left the Ravens on a high note. He led the team to a Super Bowl victory in 2012, helped develop Lamar Jackson, and contributed to Baltimore’s consistency over the past two decades. Despite a disappointing 2025 season, the body of work during his tenure was an immense success.
The Ravens ended the season ranked 20th on PFSN’s NFL Offense impact and 18th on the defense impact metric.
Harbaugh is 63 and does not plan to retire, with his agent detailing that many teams have already contacted him.
However, a 2018 article by 247 Sports might give a hint of which team could acquire his services for the 2026 season, and surprisingly, remaining in the AFC North is a possibility.
“My mom is from Cleveland and went to Shaw High School over there in East Cleveland. My dad is from Crestline, Ohio, which is about 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.”
Harbaugh’s dad coached at Canton McKinley and Bowling Green, and at the time, he also reflected on his Browns fandom. “I was a Browns fan. I have said that many times. We grew up Browns fans. We grew up with Art Modell’s Browns. Leroy Kelly, Don Nelsen, that is who we grew up with.”
John Harbaugh detailed his connection to northeast Ohio and Cleveland in a 2018 article by 247 Sports.
“My mom is from Cleveland and went to Shaw High School over there in East Cleveland. My dad is from Crestline, Ohio, which is about hour and a half south of there, and they… pic.twitter.com/ovLvlo1L5i
— The Dawgs – A Cleveland Browns Podcast (@thedawgspodcast) January 6, 2026
Harbaugh has a 28-8 record against the Cleveland Browns in his coaching career. Since he took over the Ravens, his team, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has dominated the AFC North, winning Super Bowls and leaving the Browns in the dust as a result.
For the Browns, hiring a coach of Harbaugh’s caliber could go a long way toward building a winning culture. Cleveland fired head coach Kevin Stefanski on Monday after six years and two playoff appearances; their opening is significantly less attractive than Baltimore’s due to the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback situation.
Harbaugh left the Ravens with a 180-113 record. He also led Baltimore to 13 wins in 24 playoff games. He also led Baltimore to 12 playoff appearances over his 18 seasons as their coach. Despite the failures of 2025, his stint was an immense success; Tyler Loop’s missed kick might have saved his job had the ball gone in.
The Browns, on the other hand, have won 146 games since their reinstatement in the 1999 season. They have not played in the AFC Championship Game ever since, while Harbaugh led the Ravens to the conference championship in his first season as a head coach. He could be the perfect leader to take Cleveland out of the misery.
