OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — John Harbaugh has been fired after 18 seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ coach.
Owner Steve Bisciotti said Tuesday he relieved Harbaugh of his duties after the Ravens were one of the league’s most disappointing teams this season. They went 8-9 and missed the playoffs after entering Week 1 as one of the Super Bowl favorites. Baltimore’s season ended Sunday night when Tyler Loop missed a last-second field goal, allowing Pittsburgh to hold on for a 26-24 victory in the game that decided the AFC North title.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, given the tremendous 18 years we have spent together and the profound respect I have for John as a coach and, most importantly, as a great man of integrity,” Bisciotti said 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.”
Harbaugh went 193-124 including the postseason. He led the 2012 Ravens to a Super Bowl title and reached the AFC championship game on three other occasions. This season was only the sixth time Baltimore missed the postseason under Harbaugh. That’s the same number of times the Ravens won the AFC North with him at the helm.
But most of Baltimore’s postseason success came in his first few seasons. The Ravens went to the AFC title game three times in his first five years as coach, culminating in their run to a Super Bowl title as a wild card, when Harbaugh beat his brother Jim’s San Francisco 49ers for the title.
At that point, Harbaugh was 9-4 in the postseason, but after that he was just 4-7. After three straight seasons without a playoff berth, Lamar Jackson arrived in 2018 and led Baltimore to a division title. But Harbaugh’s lone trip to an AFC title game with Jackson was wasted two seasons ago when Baltimore lost at home to Kansas City.
“Well, I was hoping for a different kind of message on my last day here, someday, but that day has come today,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “It comes with disappointment certainly, but more with GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION. Gratitude to the owner and organization who was willing to bring in a head coach who made his mark with special teams success. A difficult thing to do … and Appreciation for all the moments, all these years, that are etched into eternity.”
This season was a mess pretty much from the start, when Baltimore looked great for much of its opener at Buffalo before blowing a late lead. Indeed, squandering significant advantages became a troubling trend for the Ravens in Harbaugh’s last few seasons. The Ravens have blown 10 double-digit leads in the second half in the last six seasons. No other team has done that more than seven times.
After a hamstring injury sidelined Jackson, Baltimore stumbled to a 1-5 start in 2025. Harbaugh and the Ravens worked their way back into contention and eventually reached Sunday’s winner-take-all matchup as a favorite to beat the Steelers. But despite Derrick Henry’s early dominance on the ground and Jackson’s sensational fourth quarter, another season ended in excruciating fashion.
If this departure was a result of that loss — which is not necessarily clear — then the missed kick at the end could have quite a domino effect throughout the league. If he wants to coach next season, Harbaugh may well be the most sought-after person on the market, and the Baltimore job might the best available, given the short-term possibilities with Jackson at quarterback and the organization’s reputation for stability.
Of course, Harbaugh was a big part of that stability. He’s been the coach for over half the Ravens’ existence. When Baltimore has had to make changes on the staff, it’s often gone pretty well. Mike Macdonald was so good as defensive coordinator in 2023 that he became Seattle’s head coach. Todd Monken took over as offensive coordinator in ’23, and Jackson immediately won his second MVP.
Now the Ravens are in the middle of a shakeup. It wasn’t that hard to see coming, given how much they underperformed this season — plus what seemed like a possible disconnect with Jackson. It was hard to tell just how injured the star quarterback was — and Harbaugh’s optimism on the topic didn’t always come to fruition. Week 18 was the first time since early November that Jackson had a full week of practice.
Harbaugh said late in the season he had an “A-plus” relationship with Jackson, and Jackson said he wanted to be in Baltimore.
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
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