With the Ravens dismissing John Harbaugh after 18 seasons and now preparing to hire only the fourth head coach in their three-decade history, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Surreal. No matter how much media discussed the possibility or how badly fans wanted it, you’re never truly expecting a franchise to fire only its third head coach in three decades until it happens. With everyone so frustrated about not breaking through, making a change was best for all parties.
2. The final image of Harbaugh will be him accompanying a distraught Tyler Loop off the field, but the home losses to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh marked the real turning point eventually leading to Tuesday’s dismissal. In previous seasons, that would have been when Baltimore would have taken off. Not this time.
3. When you have a decade of rip-your-heart-out season-ending losses and lead the NFL in blown leads in the final five minutes over the last five seasons, your identity is what your body of work says it is. Players and assistants had come and gone, but Harbaugh remained the common denominator.
4. Baltimore has a two-time MVP quarterback, a future Hall of Fame running back, and an elite defensive player in Kyle Hamilton. You won’t find a more appealing job, but the pressure’s on Steve Bisciotti to knock this hire out of the park. Teams prove annually that it isn’t easy.
5. Media and fans aren’t particularly good at identifying candidates either, of course, but I’d prefer a young offensive coach like Klint Kubiak to be in lockstep with Lamar Jackson to maximize what remains of his prime. Expectations are still sky high if this roster is as talented as many believe.
The Ravens requested an interview with Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak for their head coaching job, per source.
That’s five interview requests for Kubiak, who can interview for jobs during Seattle’s playoff bye this week.
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6. Who would have predicted Todd Monken being such a lightning rod after a historic 2024 that brought out the best in Jackson? The offense clearly wasn’t as good this season, but unlike when Greg Roman departed, I’m skeptical the next offensive coach can top Monken’s work from 2023-24.
7. The Ravens registered a franchise-worst 3-6 home record and went 0-3 in prime-time home games in 2025 after going 22-3 in the latter department over the previous 17 seasons. No, angry season-ticket holders weren’t the driving force here, but running it back with Harbaugh would have been a challenging sell.
8. Considering the outside-the-box hire of Harbaugh in 2008 and how this organization takes nearly as much pride in being secretive as it does being successful, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a less popular name than the ones out there ultimately emerging as the next head coach. You never know.
9. Anthony Weaver being one of the first reported candidates to receive an interview request reminds of the brain drain the defensive coaching staff endured after 2023. This Baltimore defense simply didn’t play like a group that was well coached for way too much of the last two seasons.
10. Harbaugh’s critics frequently argued that the longtime coach’s influence hindered the roster-building efforts of Eric DeCosta, a sentiment I don’t really buy. But if that were the case, let’s see DeCosta rebound from an offseason that aged poorly. The offensive line and pass rush need to get much better.
11. This team’s biggest stars haven’t played like it in many of the biggest moments the last several years. Period. With Harbaugh no longer in the picture to blame, it’s up to this group to shed the reputation of being frontrunners who go down with the ship when circumstances go south.
12. Jonathan Ogden was months away from retiring and has now been in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for 13 years. Jackson was 11 years old and turned 29 Wednesday. Who would have imagined Jim Harbaugh’s older brother — a special teams coach — sticking around as long as he did?
