The Baltimore Ravens will need a new head coach for the first time in 19 years. That means Lamar Jackson will play for a new head coach for the first time in his ninth NFL season.
With John Harbaugh gone, despite winning 193 games including the playoffs and delivering a Super Bowl ring, Jackson will need to mesh with a different leader going forward. Despite Harbaugh's overall success, the head coach went only 3-5 in five playoff trips with Jackson and missed the postseason in 2025.
There is some speculation Ravens officials might reset the entire franchise on the field, including trying trade to Jackson.
Here's the what Harbaugh's departure could mean for Jackson's future in Baltimore:
Lamar Jackson will be playing for a third offensive coordinator
Greg Roman helped lead Jackson to an MVP season in Year 2 as the Ravens tailored their offense early to his dynamic running while he developed into a complete passer. Once Jackson refined his game, there was a natural evolution to his more balanced and explosive MVP year in 2023 under Todd Monken.
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Baltimore's offense has been predicated a lot the running game in the Jackson era, with Derrick Henry's presence over the past two seasons setting up Jackson to be more effective passing downfield and tougher to stop as a runner. Unfortunately, Jackson's durability issues in 2025 contributed to the offense struggling enough to miss the playoffs while facing a tough schedule.
There was some pressure on Harbaugh to make yet another change with Monken after how the season ended. Now Monken will be finding a job, and maybe fill one of the other six head-coaching vacancies.
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Kliff Kingsbury, who was just fired by the Commanders, would seem like the ideal offensive coordinator (or play-calling head coach) to pair with Jackson after his top-level work with Kyler Murray and Jayden Daniels. The Ravens could also try to tap into the Rams' staff for passing game specialist Nathan Scheelhaase to call plays, if not straight up hiring their OC, Mike LaFleur, to be the new coach.
Lamar Jackson needs to be more of a leader for his teammates
The Ravens have been used to Harbaugh's coaching demeanor for a long time. And now there's plenty of shock in the locker room after losing a familial presence. There are plenty of veterans who must get ready for a tough adjustment.
Now the constant voice, heart and soul of the Ravens team belongs to Jackson, who has been the starting quarterback for nearly a decade. With the defense need of an overhaul, it's on Jackson to ease the transition with his stability. Jackson was attached to the hip of Harbaugh in many ways. This is Jackson's team now should he stay, with the new head coach having more of the adjusting to do.
Will the Ravens really trade Lamar Jackson without Harbaugh?
Jackson still has two more locked-in years on his contract. He turns only 29 on Wednesday, a day after Harbaugh's firing, so he has plenty of prime years left.
The Ravens can't rule out trading Jackson away, given a lot of teams will be in QB transition again. The Raiders and Jets are at the top of the list and have been tied to top draft prospects Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore. But the 2026 class has some real questions beyond that promising pair. The Browns, Cardinals, Vikings and Jackson's hometown Dolphins can join the fray in making a big QB change, too.
Baltimore officials will give away whether Jackson is still in the team's plans by their direction for the next coach and OC. Should they be more Jackson-friendly offensive hires, that's an indication the Ravens just wanted a fresh overall approach, still feeling their QB is committed to the organization. The Ravens might seem crazy to move Jackson, but it's the better move for them if they can't committing to what he needs to succeed.