The Baltimore Ravens have fired head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons in charge, the team announced on Tuesday.
Harbaugh is the most successful coach in the history of the franchise and was the second longest-tenured head coach in the NFL before his dismissal. Ironically, his final game with the Ravens came against the only name ahead of him in terms of tenure length – Mike Tomlin, who has been head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 seasons.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti called the decision “incredibly difficult” in a statement.
“Throughout what I firmly believe is a Hall of Fame coaching career, John has delivered a Super Bowl championship to Baltimore and served as a steadfast pillar of humility and leadership,” Bisciotti said. “He and his family have deeply embedded themselves in this community. For these profound contributions, on and off the field, we should all be forever grateful.
“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. I will always be grateful for the extraordinary hard work and dedication displayed by John and his staff throughout the many successful years.”
The Ravens experienced a sustained run of success under Harbaugh, reaching the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons and winning the AFC North division six times. Harbaugh led his team to Super Bowl XLVII in the 2012 season, winning the title against his brother, Jim, who was then head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, in what was colloquially referred to as the “HarBowl”.
By and large, most of Harbaugh’s playoff success came early in his tenure. The Ravens made the AFC Championship Game three times in his first five years as head coach, but only once in the seasons since. This was despite having two-time MVP Lamar Jackson at quarterback for many of those seasons.
The 2025 season was easily the most disappointing of his tenure. The Ravens started the season as Super Bowl favourites but finished with an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs after a late missed field goal on Sunday against the Steelers, their bitter division rivals.
Harbaugh had signed a three-year contract extension this past offseason, running until the 2028 season. The 63-year-old ranks 12th all time in wins by an NFL head coach. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Harbaugh’s next job could come as a TV analyst – a destination that was also speculated for Tomlin had he finished on the losing end of Sunday’s season finale.
