After 18 seasons, the Baltimore Ravens decided to move on from future Hall of Fame coach John Harbaugh, who won 180 games and a Super Bowl. He’s undoubtedly the best head coaching candidate available in a league that now has seven vacancies, including the Ravens.
The Ravens fired Harbaugh so they could hire someone else. Now, another NFL team is reportedly weighing the decision to fire its coach and hire Harbaugh. But which team it is remains unclear.
According to Harbaugh’s agent Bryan Harlan, Harbaugh’s availability has already prompted seven calls from NFL teams that have interest in the former Ravens coach. Yet again, only seven teams have vacancies, and the Ravens obviously aren’t calling to say they want him back now.
This means there’s another team that has yet to move on their head coach, who is currently pondering a switcheroo. That is, if Harbaugh’s agent is telling the truth.
Of course, it’s his job to drive up the price for his client and make it seem like he’s the best thing since sliced bread. Still, it’s not that hard to believe that a team could be interested in upgrading to Harbaugh, who ranks 14th on the NFL’s all-time coaching wins list.
But which team could that be?
There’s still speculation that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike Tomlin could be headed for a split. How fun would it be for Harbaugh to head to one of the Ravens’ biggest rivals? After all, he knows this division like the back of his hand.
If not the Steelers, what about a team like the New York Jets? They can’t be too sold on Aaron Glenn after a 3-14 season. Possibly even the Miami Dolphins after Mike McDaniel’s poor start to the 2025 NFL campaign. Though, since McDaniel’s been involved in the GM hiring process, that would be an awkward split.
We don’t imagine the Indianapolis Colts are thinking about a coaching change after Shane Steichen proved he could lead a dominant effort with improved QB play, even if it was just for a stretch of the season. Yet, anything’s possible.
Would the Washington Commanders consider a change after the bottom fell out on Dan Quinn’s team after they lost eight games in a row? A year after reaching the NFC Conference Championship, we doubt Quinn’s job is in danger this offseason.
That leaves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have been pretty silent on the future of Todd Bowles, though he believes he deserves a shot at another season. After seeing the offense and defense regress and failing to take control of a division that was clearly up for grabs, perhaps the Buccaneers are a team that’s silently pondering a change.
In any event, this unknown team is operating in the shadows. But quietly, they’re likely hoping Harbaugh says yes to them before moving on from the coach they’re already committed to.
With Harbaugh shaking things up, could there soon be eight NFL head coaching vacancies, leaving a quarter of the jobs up for grabs? Would that then spur someone like Bill Belichick’s interest?
Related: Bill Belichick Addresses Rumored Interest in NFL Head Coaching Vacancies
