Ravens fire John Harbaugh, Super Bowl-winning coach, after 18 seasons

The Baltimore Ravens are making a major organizational change, as the franchise has fired coach John Harbaugh Tuesday after 18 seasons, according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones. The move comes after the Ravens finished the 2025 campaign with an 8-9 record — just Harbaugh’s third losing season in Baltimore — and failed to reach the postseason after opening the campaign with major expectations. Baltimore had a chance to clinch the AFC North title on Sunday night, but lost the win-and-in Week 18 showdown against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-24, on a last-second missed field goal. 

Harbaugh, who was under contract through 2028 after signing a new three-year deal last offseason, was the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL (behind Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin) and is the winningest coach in Ravens history, going 180-113 during his time in Baltimore. 

The 63-year-old went 13-11 in the postseason, won Super Bowl XLVII against his brother, Jim, in 2013, and was named Coach of the Year in 2019. His eight road playoff victories are the most by a coach in NFL history, yet the Ravens made the AFC Championship just once following the franchise’s second Super Bowl victory, an appearance which came in 2023. In eight seasons with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson leading the offense, the Ravens won just three postseason games and never made it past the conference championship round. 

Following the Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots, Harbaugh addressed his job security. He said that coaching at this level is never about keeping a job, but doing the best you can “today.” 

“One thing I always have believed is that, first of all, coaching at any level is a day-to-day job, and your job is to do the best job you can today, and to do everything you can to help your players and your coaches — if you’re a head coach — be the best they can be every single day,” Harbaugh said. “And it’s never been about keeping a job, and there’s no such thing as ‘your’ job or ‘my’ job.”

While Harbaugh is out in Baltimore, he suddenly becomes the most attractive prospect on the coaching carousel. According to CBS Sports Research, he has the eighth-most wins (180) by a coach with a single team in NFL history.

This is a developing story.