John Harbaugh is out at the Baltimore Ravens in the biggest NFL head coaching decision of the cycle, just days after his team missed out on the playoffs with a last-second loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Harbaugh has been in charge in Baltimore since 2008, coaching 18 seasons and winning the Super Bowl in 2012, and is now expected to be the No 1 target of multiple teams looking for a new head coach.
The decision was first revealed by NFL insider Adam Schefter, with general manager Eric DeCosta informing the team of the bombshell decision on Tuesday evening.
The team confirmed the firing soon after, and released a statement on Harbaugh’s behalf, in which he told fans: ‘Well, I was hoping for a different kind of message on my last day here, someday, but that day has come today.’
He went on to thank ‘the owner and organization’ who brought him in, before hailing his ‘meaningful and impactful relationships with players throughout the years that I will cherish always’.
Only Mike Tomlin – whose Steelers beat the Ravens to the playoffs on Sunday Night Football – is a longer-serving coach than Harbaugh, who leaves Baltimore with a 180-113 record.
John Harbaugh has been fired by the Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons as head coach
Harbaugh’s final game was against Mike Tomlin, the only longer-tenured coach than him
Multiple teams are now set to battle it out for the 63-year-old, including the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans, all of whom have fired their head coach after a disastrous season.
The Falcons, Cardinals and Browns are also without a head coach, giving Harbaugh a wide variety of options heading into the offseason.
It could all have been extremely different for Harbaugh and the Ravens had kicker Tyler Loop made his last-second field goal against the Steelers on Sunday night.
Baltimore was two points down in the shootout against Pittsburgh, with a win taking them into the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but the rookie inexplicably missed and sealed his team’s fate.
It is the first time since 2021 that Baltimore has missed the playoffs, and only the second time since 2017.
Harbaugh leaves the team with one Super Bowl ring – beating his brother Jim’s San Francisco 49ers in the 2012 season – and is the best coach in franchise history.
It would have been a different outcome had kicker Tyler Loop made his last-second field goal
Despite having Lamar Jackson at QB, the Ravens have failed to go deep into the postseason
In 2023, the Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, but that is the closest they had come to repeating their past success.
This season, the Ravens began with a dismal 1-5 record, but climbed back into the race for the AFC North at 8-8 and could have won the title on Sunday.
It was reported earlier in the week that his job security was ‘up in the air’ and it seems the team’s failure to make the playoffs sealed his fate.
Harbaugh ranks 12th all-time for most wins by an NFL coach, but the ownership has been disappointed by a lack of postseason success in recent years.
Harbaugh celebrates with the Lombardi trophy after beating the San Francisco 49ers in 2013
Harbaugh beat his brother Jim (left) to win the big game at the Superdome in New Orleans
The Ravens, led by Harbaugh, celebrate their title with then-president Barack Obama in 2013
Despite having two-time MVP Lamar Jackson at quarterback, the Ravens have failed to go deep in the playoffs, failing to make the Super Bowl since their 2013 win.
Last year, Baltimore lost to the Bills in the Divisional round, and prior to the AFC Championship loss to the Chiefs, it was a defeat by the Bengals in the Wild Card round in 2022.
Fans’ anger had been rising throughout the season, with a 3-6 record at M&T Bank Stadium leading to boos, especially after a 44-10 October loss to the Texans.
After the loss on Sunday that sealed Baltimore’s fate, Harbaugh was asked if he would like to return for next season, to which he replied: ‘Yes, I love these guys.’