On Jan. 6, when John Harbaugh was driving home, he got a call from owner Steve Bisciotti. A call that he probably received countless numbers of times before, talking about football, and discussing the future of the Baltimore Ravens. But this time the call felt different. On the other side was Bisciotti, his voice almost heavy and choked up because he knew what he was about to say would change everything.

After nearly two decades of a run together, where the duo went on to have playoff runs, AFC championship appearances, and a Super Bowl win, Bisciotti had to bite the bullet, trust his instincts and break what once felt like a perfect marriage. For many, him firing one of the most successful coaches in the franchise’s history felt like a shocker. But this decision didn’t come suddenly. One bad night is what got Bisciotti waking up the next morning with a feeling of a need for change.

In Week 18, they faced their division rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The winner of the game would clinch the division title and make it to the playoffs. With just a few seconds left in the 4th quarter, the score read 26-24 in favor of the Steelers. The Ravens attempted a 44-yard field goal, which was the last play of the game. Unfortunately, Tyler Loop missed it, resulting in the Steelers going through to the playoffs. This bitter ending transpired the divorce between the coach and the owner. Recently, Harbaugh was asked if he had any hard feelings for the Ravens, and he had a clear answer.

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“If the job’s not getting done, it’s not good enough; they’ll make a change,” said John Harbaugh on the Pardon My Take podcast. “I really wasn’t worried about it ever, keeping the job. I felt like at some point in time, if they felt like I wasn’t the best guy for the job to do the job, then they’re going to put me out of a job, and that’s what they should do if they feel that way.”

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The truth is that the Ravens had gone from an AFC championship appearance in 2023 to a Divisional Round exit in 2024 to missing the playoffs in 2025. This was a clear downward trajectory, and sure it was not all on Harbaugh, but all those issues ultimately led to his firing.

Besides underachieving in 2025, they earned a reputation for blowing double-digit leads. They blew away a 15-point lead against the in September. In December, they blew a 10-point lead against the and a 10-point lead against the in Week 18. So while it doesn’t all fall on the coach’s head, remaining still in a league so competitive was simply not an option.

Later, Bisciotti did admit, “I was the one choked up; he was the one consoling me,” Bisciotti admitted. “It was a wonderful, wonderful marriage,” he said. And truly it was.

He will go down as one of the best coaches in Ravens history. He delivered 13 winning seasons out of the 18 he has been the Ravens’ HC. Besides winning the Super Bowl, he led the team to 12 postseason appearances, six AFC North titles, and four AFC Championship appearances. He left with a 193-124 total record, including the playoffs. But it was not enough for the franchise to keep him for the 19th season.

Now, though, Harbaugh begins a new chapter with the New York Giants. A franchise who is looking for a fresh new start, and so a new challenge awaits him. While he does not have any regrets about his firing, he does not feel the same when it came to his coaching staff in 2025.

John Harbaugh believes his coaching staff did a great job last season

The blame game has always been a part of the NFL. When a team incurs a losing season, the fans are never shy about pointing fingers. The same happened with Harbaugh and his coaching staff last season. However, the former Ravens HC is not ready to blame his coaching staff. Instead, he believes they were pretty good, like they always have been.

“I took a lot of pride in what we did,” said John Harbaugh. “I took a lot of pride in this season. I thought, honestly, as a coaching staff, it might have been our best job this year coaching this team. I thought we did a great job. But it wasn’t good enough in terms of getting us where we needed to get for whatever reason.”

Last season, Todd Monken was the offensive coordinator, and Zach Orr was the defensive coordinator. Both of them were familiar with Harbaugh, having worked with him for a few years. In 2024, they promoted Orr to DC from linebackers coach, and they hired Monken in 2023. The Ravens made it to the playoffs from 2022 to 2024. In 2023, they earned the first seed in the AFC with a 13-4 record. In each of those seasons, they worked hard and got results.

It was the same last season, but expectations were not fulfilled. Defensively, they allowed 23.4 points per game compared to 21.2 in 2024, contributing to the poor season. The offensive line also failed to protect quarterback Lamar Jackson. He was sacked 36 times in 13 games. Regardless, the Super Bowl-winning coach is fully supportive of his staff.

He even took several of his former coaching staff to the New York Giants. The key hires included special teams coordinator Chris Horton, defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, and assistant Willie Taggart. With him aiming to recreate the Ravens culture in New York, it remains to be seen whether it turns out fruitful or just a replica of the 2025 season.