John Harbaugh was fired by the Baltimore Ravens in a decision that has surprised the entire NFL. Despite having won a Super Bowl for the franchise and managing to keep the team as a playoff contender for 18 years, the elimination against the Pittsburgh Steelers made the situation untenable.
The turn of events is dramatic, as Harbaugh was one Tyler Loop–made field goal away from reaching the playoffs as AFC North champion and with the possibility of hosting a game in the wild-card round of the postseason. Just a few inches changed his fate in a matter of hours.
At the moment, the big question is whether there was truly a breakdown in the relationship with Lamar Jackson and whether that was the key factor that forced owner Steve Bisciotti to choose between the historic coach and his star quarterback.
Why did Baltimore Ravens fire John Harbaugh?
The Baltimore Ravens reportedly fired John Harbaugh because the head coach lost the locker room during the 2025 season. This was confirmed by Ian Rapoport in a report explaining the reasons behind the decision by the team’s ownership.
“A dramatic decision. It did seem like John Harbaugh himself was surprised. He felt he was in good standing and wanted to run it back with his current staff. As far as why John Harbaugh is out, among the reasons is not just they didn’t go far enough in the playoffs. My understanding after talking to several sources involved is that simply Harbaugh lost the locker room.”
In a surprising revelation, the players no longer trusted their head coach in the final stretch of the season. “At the end, players just simply had doubts about whether or nor they wanted to play for him as their head coach. The opinions of players were valued here. They were listened. It went to all levels and it’s not just Lamar Jackson. It started with Harbaugh and Lamar not being on the same page and it continued throughout the locker room. Maybe not a 100 per cent, but more than enough for the Baltimore Ravens to move on.”
