The Baltimore Ravens made one of the offseason's early stunning decisions when they fired John Harbaugh after nearly two decades as head coach. Now, they've landed on his replacement — who has close ties to the other Harbaugh brother, Jim.
The Ravens are hiring former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as their next head coach.
Minter, who has previous ties to the Ravens organization, is set to bring an extensive defensive background to a team that had the ninth-worst mark in the league this past season with 354.5 yards allowed per game.
Here's everything to know about Minter's background and what he brings to Baltimore.
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Who is Jesse Minter?
Minter, who is set to become one of the younger head coaches in the NFL, will be a first-time head coach — at any level. He has a long track record of defensive roles between college and the NFL, but the Ravens are hiring Minter with hopes that he has untapped potential as a head coach.
Your next coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 22, 2026
We have agreed to terms with Jesse Minter to be our head coach! Pic.twitter.com/5VEBGk8iB1
Most recently, Minter was the Chargers' defensive coordinator in the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Interestingly for the post-John Harbaugh Ravens, Minter has remained closely tied with Jim Harbaugh in recent years — he was Harbaugh's defensive coordinator at Michigan from 2022-23, winning a national championship with the Wolverines, before following Harbaugh to the Chargers in 2024.
Under Minter, Los Angeles' defense ranked 11th in the NFL in total defense in 2024 (324.4 yards allowed per game) and fifth in 2025 (285.2 yards allowed per game).
Minter, who is from Little Rock, Arkansas, later graduated from Yorktown High School in Yorktown, Indiana. He played wide receiver at Mount St. Joseph University from 2002-05 before his coaching career began.
For the Ravens, part of the appeal of the hire is also certainly about the fact that Minter has been with the organization before. He was a defensive assistant for Baltimore from 2017-18, promoted to assistant defensive backs coach in 2019, then promoted again to defensive backs coach in 2020.
Don’t think a lot of Ravens fans even realize this, but Jesse Minter was the Ravens defensive backs coach for 4 years from 2017-2020.
— Gametime Rob (@gametimerob) January 21, 2026
He’s already a part of the #RavensFlock.
Bring my dawg back! Pic.twitter.com/UTafdNW3wu
Minter began to emerge as a candidate for the Ravens' job recently, with CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reporting that Minter was interviewing for the job on Wednesday. Minter also interviewed for the Las Vegas Raiders' open head coaching role, per Jeremy Fowler.
#Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is interviewing in-person today with the #Ravens for their head coaching job, sources tell @CBSSports pic.twitter.com/QRQ33mOGK9
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 21, 2026
Now, Minter will be officially be tasked with guiding Lamar Jackson and the Ravens back to the playoffs, with the team hoping he can help them break through to finally bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Baltimore.
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Jesse Minter contract details
- Years: 5
Minter signed a five-year contract to become Baltimore's next head coach.
However, it's unlikely the financial details are reported, as NFL teams are not required to disclose coaches' salaries and they often go unreported.
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Jesse Minter coaching timeline
Here's a breakdown of Minter's coaching career to this point.
Notre Dame, defensive intern, 2006
Minter's coaching career began in 2006, when Notre Dame hired him as a defensive intern for a season.
Cincinnati, graduate assistant, 2007-08
In 2007, Minter departed Notre Dame for Cincinnanti, becoming a graduate assistant for the Bearcats for two seasons.
Indiana State, LBs coach and defensive coordinator, 2009-12
Minter worked up over three years at Indiana State, initially becoming a linebackers coach for the program. In 2011, he became the team's defensive coordinator, a role he held for two seasons.
Georgia State, defensive coordinator, 2013-16
Minter joined Georgia State for another collegiate defensive coordinator role in 2013, remaining in that position for three years.
Under Minter, the Panthers defense ranked eighth among FBS pass defenses in his final season, 2016.
Baltimore Ravens, defensive assistant, assistant DBs coach and DBs coach, 2017-20
Minter's first stint with the Ravens began in 2017, when he became a defensive assistant under John Harbaugh. He would be promoted twice during his time in Baltimore.
In 2019, he became an assistant defensive backs coach, and in 2020, he became the head defensive backs coach.
Vanderbilt, defensive coordinator and safeties coach, 2021
Minter returned to college in 2021 to become the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Vanderbilt.
He spent one year with the Commodores.
Michigan, defensive coordinator, 2022-23
In February 2022, Michigan announced that Minter would be the team's new defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh.
When Harbaugh was suspended for three games in the 2023 season, Minter was named interim head coach for the Wolverines' season-opener. He led the squad to a 30-3 win over East Carolina.
Minter guided the Michigan defense that went unbeaten in the 2023 season, winning the CFP championship.
Los Angeles Chargers, defensive coordinator, 2024-25
In 2024, when Jim Harbaugh left Michigan for the Chargers, he brought Minter with him as his defensive coordinator.
It marked Minter's first NFL coordinator role after years at the collegiate level, and he found plenty of success over his first two years, guiding the NFL's fifth-ranked defense in 2025.
Baltimore Ravens, head coach, 2026-present
Now, Minter becomes a first-time head coach filling massive shoes in Baltimore. He goes from working with one Harbaugh brother, Jim, to replacing another, his former boss John, as the Ravens seek their first Super Bowl since 2013.
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How old is Jesse Minter?
Jesse Minter is 42 years old. He will turn 43 on May 9, 2026.
Minter is set to become one of the top-10 youngest coaches in the NFL.
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Who is Jesse Minter's dad?
Jesse Minter's dad is Rick Minter, who was previously the head coach at Cincinnati from 1994 to 2003 and is now the senior defensive analyst for the Chargers.
Over Jesse's career, he's often worked alongside under dad's direction or alongside him. At Notre Dame in 2006, Rick was defensive coordinator; at Indiana State in 2010, Rick was linebackers coach; at Georgia State in 2016, Rick was defensive line coach; at Michigan from 2022-23, Rick was a defensive analyst and interim linebackers coach; and most recently, Jesse and Rick were together with the Chargers in 2024 and 2025.
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