After nearly two decades in charge of the team, the Baltimore Ravens have finally chosen to move on from head coach John Harbaugh.
While some might argue that this was long overdue, given that he blew 26 double-digit leads, he also had 11 double-digit win seasons in Baltimore.
However, the writing seemed to be on the wall from the start of the season, when the defensive miscues and Lamar Jackson’s injuries seemed to get in the team’s way.
Then again, it seems like there was more to the story than that. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Coach Harbaugh didn’t see eye-to-eye with his star quarterback, and that sentiment ultimately spread throughout the locker room.
Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh didn’t see eye-to-eye
“At the end, players just simply had doubts about whether or not they wanted to play for him as their head coach,” Rapoport said. “The opinions of players was valued here. It was listened to. It went to all levels. And it’s not just Lamar Jackson.”
It wasn’t just the two-time MVP, though. Per Rapoport, Harbaugh had ultimately lost his grasp in the locker room:
“Now, it started, it sounded like to me, with Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson not being on the same page,” the NFL insider added. “It continued throughout the locker room. Maybe not 100 percent, but more than enough for the Baltimore Ravens to say that among the reasons to move on, this was a big one.”
There were also some rumblings about Jackson’s future with the organization. He was pretty banged up for most of the season and didn’t play up to his usual standards more often than not.
The decision to part ways with coach Harbaugh, however, makes it seem as if the team has already chosen a side, so any potential trade, which always seemed unlikely, might not even be a possibility at this point.
The Ravens will most likely keep Jackson involved in the head coach hiring process, and there should be plenty of suitors looking forward to a chance to coach one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks of all time.
The clock is ticking on him, and he knows he needs to get over the hump in the playoffs after so many years of shortcomings.
As for Harbaugh, it shouldn’t take long for him to land on his feet. He will probably now be at the top of several teams’ wishlists and will get to handpick his next destination.