The Baltimore Ravens’ season ended after a heartbreaking Week 18 loss to their division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. They will be sitting at home instead of in the postseason for the first time since 2021. Now, they will head into a new era as John Harbaugh has been fired.
More on Ravens’ Decision to Fire John Harbaugh
Harbaugh has been fired after serving as the head coach of Baltimore since 2008. He brought them a Super Bowl in 2013. In a shocking turn of events, Harbaugh will be looking for a new job this offseason. It may have been time to move on, but it is always hard to imagine a coach being fired after 18 years at the helm.
It looked like Harbaugh had run his course in Baltimore. The Ravens continued to fall short in the playoffs, plagued by backbreaking mistakes. The last straw was Tyler Loop’s missed field goal, and the front office had seen enough of the heartbreak.
Sources: John Harbaugh is out as the Ravens head coach. pic.twitter.com/Rht9ssh01j
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2026
The Ravens will have plenty to figure out in the offseason. Baltimore could promote one of their current coordinators or find a new head coach from the unemployment line. This is going to be one of the most, if not the most, attractive head coaching positions on the market.
Baltimore features two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at quarterback, along with Pro Bowlers Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers, as key supporting offensive weapons.
There is plenty of talent on defense, too. Who wouldn’t want to coach a defense with All-Pros Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith? The Ravens need to nail this hire. They have a championship-caliber foundation; now they’ll look for the right coach.
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The coaching market got some new blood after Kevin Stefanski, Jonathan Gannon, and Pete Carroll were fired on Black Monday. Harbaugh may have survived Black Monday, but Tuesday claimed the jobs of others as well, including Harbaugh.
Harbaugh’s next steps are simple. He is the top candidate on the market, and no one can compete with his resume. He is a Super Bowl champion, with 180 regular-season wins and 13 playoff wins.
The Falcons are the likely top destination outside of Baltimore for coaches looking for jobs. With six teams other than the Ravens looking for head coaches, it would be irresponsible for any of these teams not to give Harbaugh a chance.
The Ravens simply didn’t live up to their Super Bowl expectations this past year. Entering the season with what was expected to be the most complete roster in the NFL, the team couldn’t even win the weak AFC North. Their offense struggled even when Jackson was healthy, finishing 20th in PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric with an impact score of 72.7.
The coaching carousel just got a lot more interesting. The question remains whether this would be the last domino to fall in this cycle, but only time will tell.
As for Jackson, NFL insider Dianna Russini suggested a candidate who can get the best out of him. The Washington Commanders parted ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury earlier today, and Rusinni believes he has a chance to become the next head coach for the Ravens.
“Amid recent leaguewide buzz about Kliff Kingsbury’s future, many believe Baltimore, paired with Lamar Jackson, would be an ideal landing spot for the now former Commanders offensive coordinator,” Russini wrote on X. “That will be a name to watch.”
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
