We now know two candidates to replace John Harbaugh as head coach of the Ravens.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Baltimore has put in requests to interview Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Weaver, 45, has plenty of experience in Baltimore’s organization. He was a Ravens second-round pick in 2022 and played four seasons for the franchise before finishing his career with the Texans.
While Weaver has coached at various stops around the league since 2012, he was the Ravens defensive line coach and run game coordinator in 2021 before being promoted to assistant head coach in 2022, serving in that role for two seasons.
He’s been with the Dolphins since 2024.
Kubiak has now been requested by five teams in this coaching cycle as he gears up to finish his first season as Seahawks offensive coordinator. Seattle finished the year No. 3 in points scored and No. 8 in total yards.
On Tuesday evening, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that seven teams had reached out to John Harbaugh’s agent to gauge his interest in becoming their head coach after he’d been fired by the Ravens.
With only seven vacancies — including the Ravens — at least one team that currently has a head coach was among that group.
While some assumed that team was Miami, one veteran reporter says that is not the case.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, as of late Wednesday morning, the Dolphins had not reached out to or engaged with Harbaugh in any way.
Jackson notes that could change, as Harbaugh going through the interview process with other teams will take some time.
For now, Mike McDaniel remains Miami’s head coach. Last year at this time, however, team owner Stephen Ross released a statement noting that McDaniel and now-former General Manager Chris Grier would continue in their roles. No such statement has been released in regards to McDaniel this offseason.
Miami finished 2025 7-10. McDaniel has now accumulated a 35-33 record as Dolphins head coach in four seasons with two postseason appearances.
As the Ravens embark on their first coaching search in 18 years, the primary challenge will be to find someone who can get more out of a generational talent who has a finite number of prime years remaining.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who turns 29 today, will loom over the process. To the extent there was friction between Jackson and former coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens need a coach who will blend harmony with accountability.
It’s easy to see how Harbaugh could have become frustrated with Jackson. From reported concerns about diet and conditioning to a habit of skipping the offseason program (Jackson gave up $1.5 million between 2024 and 2025 by staying away from most of the “voluntary” work) to a possible perception that he has been reluctant to play when injured (frankly, no player with unsettled contract situations should put themselves at risk), there were various reasons for a disconnect.
Regardless of whether it got to the point where owner Steve Bisciotti felt compelled to choose between Jackson and Harbaugh, Harbaugh is gone and Jackson remains.
Jackson is under contract for two more years. There have been indications that he believes it’s time for an adjustment to the five-year, $52.5 million deal he signed in 2023. (The market has increased since then, as it always does, and he has won one MVP award and finished second in the voting for another.)
Unless they find a trade partner (which seems unlikely), they need to make it work with Jackson. Which means they need a coach who’ll make it work with Jackson.
Will that mean involving Jackson directly in the search? If nothing else, there’s value in observing how Jackson and the candidates interact.
Obviously, Jackson would first have to want to be involved. And if he does want to be involved and the team declines, that would create another set of issues.
The quarterback can’t have too much power. He also can’t be treated like any other player. Jackson’s contract and his skillset give him a level of influence that can’t be ignored. If Jackson is all in with the new coach, other players will follow his lead. If he isn’t, other players will sense it.
Regardless of how it plays out, the next coach of the team will need to connect with Jackson. The next coach will need to be able to win Jackson’s respect, and to inspire him to fully commit to the process of preparing himself for the next season. Starting with full participation in the offseason program, and collection of his $750,000 workout bonus for 2026.
With six vacancies (other than the Ravens) and seven teams calling former Ravens coach John Harbaugh after his dismissal on Tuesday, at least one team without a vacancy made the call.
So which team(s) called? (It’s possible that more than one team without an opening called, if at least one of the teams currently looking for a coach did not.)
Here’s a look at the possibilities. And don’t blame us for doing it; Harbaugh’s agent lit the fuse by disclosing that seven teams called.
Jets: By all appearances, first-year coach Aaron Glenn lost the locker room. The final five games, with a minus-137 point differential (27.4 per game), was arguably the worst stretch ever for a franchise with plenty of rough spots. Still, owner Woody Johnson has shown no inclination to fire Glenn — and to owe him more than $40 million to not coach the team.
Dolphins: Michigan man Stephen Ross once pursued Michigan man Jim Harbaugh while the Dolphins still had a coach under contract. Why wouldn’t Ross make the call about Harbaugh’s brother, given the currently tenuous status of Mike McDaniel?
Bills: What if the Bills lose this weekend? Is it crazy to think the Bills would consider making a change? That said, swapping out one coach who failed to get to the Super Bowl during the prime years of a generational talent for another coach who failed to get to the Super Bowl during the prime years of a generational talent seems odd.
Steelers: If the team thinks Mike Tomlin, who seems to have a TV offer in his back pocket, could be leaving after the playoff run ends, it needs to be thinking about the next coach. Why not Harbaugh?
Bengals: There’s no way Mike Brown will finance Zac Taylor’s buyout and pay whatever it would take to get Harbaugh.
Colts: Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has said Shane Steichen will be back. Could she view Harbaugh as an upgrade who may not be available if a change is made in 2027?
Chiefs: Andy Reid will be back for 2026. The phone call (if it happened) may have been as simple as, “Keep us in mind if you’re thinking about taking a year off and returning in 2027.”
Cowboys: See the Chiefs.
Commanders: Dan Quinn’s team badly regressed in 2025. Why wouldn’t owner Josh Harris at least consider the possibility of an upgrade to Harbaugh?
Packers: New team president Ed Policy made it clear in June that it’s an up-or-out year for coach Matt LaFleur and G.M. Brian Gutekunst. Could Policy have wanted to let Harlan (the son of former Packers CEO Bob Harlan) know that there may be a reason to let the wild-card round play out before making any decisions?
Buccaneers: There’s a vague sense still lingering that ownership could make a coaching change. Harbaugh’s availability could be the thing that pushes the Bucs off the fence.
At least one of those teams made the call. Maybe more than one. And if one of those teams fires its head coach in the coming days, it could be the first step toward hiring John Harbaugh.
A day after John Harbaugh was fired, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has emerged as the early favorite to be the next head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
Minter has been on Jim Harbaugh’s staff in Los Angeles for the last two years and worked for him as the defensive coordinator at Michigan for two years before that. He previously spent four years as a defensive assistant to John Harbaugh on the Ravens.
The current odds have Minter at +250, followed by former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski at +350 and Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken at +450.
The 42-year-old Minter has never been a head coach, but he did serve as Michigan’s interim head coach for one game in 2023, when Jim Harbaugh was serving a suspension for violating NCAA recruiting rules, and he also briefly took over the Chargers’ head-coaching duties during a 2024 game when Harbaugh was getting checked out for an irregular heartbeat. Minter has been mentioned regularly as a candidate to become a head coach in 2026, and he’s expected to be a candidate for other jobs, in addition to the one in Baltimore.
