Eighteen years. A Super Bowl. A two-time MVP quarterback. And it ends like this — with a 26-24 loss to the Steelers, a missed field goal, and a phone call nobody in Baltimore saw coming.
The Ravens fired John Harbaugh on Tuesday. Not in the offseason of some down year. Not after a rebuilding campaign. After a season where Baltimore was supposed to contend for a championship.
Owner Steve Bisciotti called it "incredibly difficult." Harbaugh responded with grace, expressing gratitude for an organization that took a chance on a special teams coordinator eighteen years ago. Within 45 minutes of the news breaking, his agent received calls from seven NFL teams. All seven current openings. Someone who still has a coach even dialed in.
John Harbaugh is a Hall of Fame coach. The way this ended doesn't change that. But it also doesn't change the uncomfortable truth: something had broken in Baltimore.
The numbers don't tell the whole story, but they tell enough
Harbaugh's record in Baltimore: 180-113. Twelve playoff appearances. A Super Bowl ring. Those are franchise-defining numbers.
But here's the other side: since drafting Lamar Jackson, the Ravens made the AFC Championship Game exactly once. They've lost 12 games over the past five years while holding a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter — the most in the NFL. Their playoff record with Jackson? Three wins, six losses.
You can only lose so many games you're supposed to win before people start asking questions.
What really happened this season
Baltimore started 1-5. Lamar Jackson was battling injuries. The defense, which was supposed to be a strength, couldn't stop anyone when it mattered. By the time they crawled back to 8-8, needing a win over Pittsburgh to make the playoffs, the cracks were already showing.
Then came Sunday night. Up 10-0 early. Up twice in the fourth quarter. And still, they found a way to lose. Justin Tucker — the most reliable kicker in NFL history — missed a field goal that would have won it.
Sometimes fate just tells you it's over.
The relationship with Lamar
There were whispers throughout December that Harbaugh had grown tired of Jackson. The Baltimore Sun reported tension between coach and quarterback. Harbaugh denied it publicly, calling their relationship "A-plus."
Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. What's clear is that the Ravens couldn't get over the hump with one of the most talented players in league history. That falls on everyone — the front office, the coaching staff, the quarterback himself.
But when you fire the coach, you're making a statement: we believe the problem was leadership, not talent.
Where does Harbaugh land?
ESPN is already reporting that the Giants are interested. So are the Titans, Falcons, Raiders, Browns, and Cardinals. Harbaugh is 63 years old, but he's not done. Not even close.
The real question is whether he wants to rebuild somewhere else or if he'd prefer a situation where he can win immediately. New York has a young quarterback in Drew Lock who's shown flashes. Cleveland just landed Kevin Stefanski's exit and has some draft capital. Tennessee is a mess, but it's a clean slate.
Harbaugh will have options. He always does.
What this means for Baltimore
The Ravens haven't started a coaching search since 2008. They don't know how to do this. Bisciotti stuck with Harbaugh through thick and thin, and now he has to find someone who can do what Harbaugh couldn't: win a Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson.
Names like Ben Johnson and Todd Monken are already circulating. But whoever takes this job is inheriting a roster with a franchise quarterback, a short window, and sky-high expectations.
Good luck matching what John Harbaugh built. Because even with all the late-game collapses and playoff disappointments, he built something that most franchises would kill for.
Baltimore just decided it wasn't enough.