John Harbaugh’s 18 year tenure as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, the most successful run by any coach in franchise history, came to an end Tuesday when the team announced his dismissal just days after the end of a disappointing 2025 season for the Ravens
Harbaugh’s exit followed a 26–24 loss to the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, a game sealed by a missed field goal as time expired. The loss eliminated Baltimore from playoff contention and marked the franchise’s first postseason absence since 2021. The decision comes just nine months after Harbaugh signed a three year contract extension that would have kept him under contract through the 2028 season.
Hired in 2008, Harbaugh was only the third head coach in Ravens history and became the longest tenured coach in Baltimore sports history. Over 18 seasons, he built a culture of consistency, leading the Ravens to 12 playoff appearances, six AFC North titles, two No. 1 seeds and four trips to the AFC Championship Game. He finished his Baltimore tenure with a 193–124 record including playoffs and a 13–11 playoff record, ranking among the winningest coaches in league history.
The defining moment of Harbaugh’s career came after the 2012 season when he led Baltimore to a Super Bowl XLVII win over the San Francisco 49ers, coached by his brother Jim. The title capped a remarkable five year start to his head coaching career during which the Ravens reached the conference championship three times and Harbaugh became the first coach in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons.
However, over Harbaugh’s last 13 seasons, Baltimore went just 4–7 in the playoffs, advancing past the divisional round only once since the Super Bowl run. That lone appearance came in January 2024 when the Ravens lost at home to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
Those losses were magnified by the presence of two time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Despite rosters frequently stocked with Pro Bowl talent, the Ravens were unable to return to the Super Bowl.
Baltimore entered the 2025 season widely viewed as one of the NFL’s most talented teams yet stumbled out to a 1–5 start. A midseason five game winning streak briefly revived playoff hopes, but late season home losses including two to division rivals derailed the season. The Ravens were officially eliminated in Week 18 after a second loss to Pittsburgh, again sealed by a missed field goal.
Harbaugh’s early success in Baltimore was historic. The Ravens won at least 10 games in four of his first five seasons and the team did not miss the playoffs until 2013, his sixth season. Under his leadership, Baltimore endured just three losing seasons in 2015, 2021 and 2025, each coinciding with significant time missed by the team’s starting quarterback.
Since his arrival in 2008, only the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers recorded more playoff appearances than Baltimore, and only the Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs won more postseason games. At the time of his dismissal, Harbaugh was the NFL’s second longest tenured head coach trailing only Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin.
The Ravens will now begin the search for their fourth head coach in franchise history. Early names expected to draw interest include Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
