This coming Tuesday, Ravens team owner Steve Bisciotti will meet with the media to do an interview with reporters for the first time in four years, per a report from The Athletic, featuring Dianna Russini, Jeff Zrebiec, and Ian O’Connor. The topic of discussion will center around his ultimate decision to dismiss John Harbaugh, the head coach of the past 18 seasons and only the third head coach in the franchise’s 30-year history. 
Harbaugh’s tenure as the head coach in Baltimore came to an end following a loss in the team’s regular season finale that determined if the Ravens would have a winning record, win the AFC North, and make the playoffs in 2025. The following day, Harbaugh met early Monday morning with general manager Eric DeCosta, executive vice president (and former general manager) Ozzie Newsome, and team president Sashi Brown. The meeting was intended to be a discussion about Harbaugh’s vision for the team and staff moving forward, and though an “unsettled” feeling hung in the room, the thought was still that momentum was moving in the right direction for Harbaugh.
Following the meeting, Harbaugh led a final team meeting with 2025’s roster and roamed around the locker room as players cleaned out their lockers and said goodbyes for the offseason. Many of the players in the building reportedly expected some level of change at the assistant coach or coordinator level, but expectations were that Harbaugh would be returning.
The next day, Bisciotti reportedly began to meet with multiple players throughout the day to discuss their thoughts on Harbaugh and the direction of the team, with one player even reportedly meeting at Bisciotti’s house for the discussion. Like has been seen from differing reports between NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, even the players inside the building had different views of Harbaugh and his hold on the locker room, which perhaps speaks to his actual hold on the locker room.
There had been noticeable grumbling throughout the year about the coaching staff, most notably concerning Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Per a joint report from ESPN’s Jamison Hensley and Jeremy Fowler, players showed particular discontent with Monken’s playcalling. Some disagreement on the team’s run/pass balance, targets for certain pass catchers, and star running back Derrick Henry‘s usage was heard throughout the year. Any vocalization of these issues likely rang loud in Bisciotti’s ear as Harbaugh appeared willing to run it all back with the coordinators returning to their roles next year.
The biggest point of concern, in terms of lack of connection, was Harbaugh and Monken’s connection to star quarterback Lamar Jackson. The two sides respected and admired each other, as they would frequently support and defend each other to the media throughout the years, but they often appeared to be on different pages, with Harbaugh and Monken struggling to understand Jackson, who would reportedly internalize frustrations. With Bisciotti and players in the locker room looking to Jackson as one who holds the franchise’s future in his hands, the coaching duos inability to truly get on the same page with him proved detrimental.
Following his meetings with players Tuesday evening, Bisciotti called Harbaugh as the coach drove home for the day and informed him of his decision. A day was given to let emotions subside, then Harbaugh met with Bisciotti on Thursday to hear the owner’s explanation for his decision. An annual meeting after the season is the usual for Bisciotti and Harbaugh, but with the possibility of a full coaching search on the horizon, prompter action became a necessity. 
Harbaugh is reportedly at peace with the decision and has moved on to search for new opportunities to be a head coach elsewhere. Upon his dismissal, he immediately became the top option for several teams looking to fill a vacancy, and though many have reached out to express interest, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that Harbaugh will take the weekend to narrow down the interviews he will take to three or four teams.
In looking for clues on which teams may get a slice of his time, Russini notes that Harbaugh is spending today and the next few days watching film specifically on rookie quarterbacks Jaxson Dart and Cam Ward, while staying in communication with decision-makers from both the Giants and Titans along with members from his own most-recent coaching staff. This is a critical part of the evaluation of head coaching candidates for those teams, as Russini adds that one of the first three questions each team is asking candidates is what their plan is for the young passers.
Ever since he became available the Giants have made it known that Harbaugh at the top of their wish list, and the research he’s putting into Dart suggests he may have mutual interest. The Titans don’t have any obvious connection to Harbaugh, but general manager Mike Borgonzi shares an ex-coworker in Andy Reid with Harbaugh. Borgonzi and Harbaugh’s shared relationships with Reid may lend to familiarity in culture and approach. And if Harbaugh had any issues deciphering Jackson’s internalized frustrations, Ward has had no trouble being extremely vocal about his own. We’ll see if each team makes Harbaugh’s final three or four interviews and who may join them.