Is There a Hot Seat in Baltimore?

John Harbaugh is currently the second longest tenured active coach in the NFL. This season marks Harbaugh’s 18th as the Ravens skipper. Only the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin has a longer active tenure, having manned the Pittsburgh sideline for 19 seasons. Both have fallen out of favor with their respective fan base. And if the Ravens, now a 6-point favorite, lose to the Steelers on Sunday at home, it’s going to get ugly for John.

I have always respected John as a man. He’s caring, compassionate and grounded by his faith. But if the Ravens fail to make it to the postseason or even if they do earn a spot and soil the bed by beating themselves AGAIN, it’s time to move on.

We hear some in the media talk about windows of opportunity in the NFL. The opportunity of course, is a chance to win a Super Bowl. Windows don’t always remain open. And lately, there’s chatter going on that the Ravens window with Lamar Jackson at quarterback, is beginning to close. THAT is some flawed thinking. However, the window on Harbaugh’s watch is in peril.

John is set in his ways. His style of coaching was handed down by his father, Jack. He’s molded this team into HIS team – one devoid of alpha dogs. Yet he plays in a league that requires them.

Think back to the Ravens last Super Bowl. Strong personalities like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata led with their words and actions on the field. Some of their offensive players were tough, hard-nosed players who led by example – Vonta Leach, Kelechi Osemele, Marshal Yanda and Anquan Boldin come to mind.

Slowly but surely via attrition or through forced non-compliance, these strong-willed people dropped off, replaced by don’t-rock-the-boat company men who kowtowed to The Harbaugh Way. In the process the team lost its identity. The Ravens were once looked upon as a collection of bullies that would exert their physical dominance, protect the football, manage field position and play great defense.

What are they today? What is their identity in 2025? Since 2013?

Harbaugh’s staff is chock-full of coaches who either aren’t capable enough or are for the moment far too inexperienced to become a head coach in the NFL. No one has said it, at least not to my knowledge, but the tealeaves suggest that John prefers it that way. Mike Macdonald was lightning in a bottle. His meteoric rise through the ranks caught everyone by surprise. Gary Kubiak was in Baltimore for a cup of coffee and then went back to Denver to run the Broncos. It’s been said that Harbaugh had to be convinced to bring in Kubiak. He wasn’t John’s first choice for OC back in 2014.

Other than that, has there ever been a Harbaugh assistant with the potential to become a head coach. Maybe Anthony Weaver but Harbaugh picked Zach Orr over the more experienced Weaver to fill the job vacated by Macdonald.

But back to that window…

Harbaugh is who he is and it’s unlikely that he has the wherewithal to get the most out of Lamar, particularly during the postseason. I don’t think his offensive assistants do either. Harbaugh has for all intents and purposes publicly emasculated offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

The window for Lamar is far from closed. He has the potential for several more MVP-caliber seasons. That said, as long as Harbaugh is the team’s skipper, the potential will always exceed achievement. Too many times, the Ravens have been the league’s best team with Lamar and they have nothing to show for it. Nothing!

If 2025 proves to be a failure with lofty expectations unfulfilled, it’s time for a new cook in the house. The ingredients, aka the players, are far too talented to produce the slop the Ravens have been serving.

There are those who will tell you that John will be hired the moment he is fired. Great for John. He deserves it. And maybe he needs a change of scenery as much as the Ravens’ sideline needs one. A win-win is possible. We only need to trace the career of Andy Reid. His departure from Philadelphia helped the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Maybe history can repeat itself for Harbaugh.

John Harbaugh on the hot seat? pic.twitter.com/vDks3LuMyR

— Lombardi Party of One (@RSRLombardi) December 3, 2025

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