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John Harbaugh interviewed in person with the New York Giants for their head coaching vacancy, according to a person familiar with the situation. Harbaugh was at the team facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for most of the day Wednesday, the person said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team was not announcing its interviews. The Super Bowl-winning former Ravens coach is believed to be the Giants’ top candidate, but they are far from the only NFL club interested in his services. Harbaugh has also spoken to the Atlanta Falcons, who recently hired retired quarterback Matt Ryan as their president of football. Young QB Jaxson Dart, one of the biggest draws for New York coming off his impressive rookie season, was reportedly involved in meetings with Harbaugh. Dart threw for 15 touchdowns and ran for nine more in 12 starts. Giants general manager Joe Schoen said he would cast a wide net for the full-time replacement for Brian Daboll, who was fired Nov. 10 with the team off to a 2-8 start. Interviews of former Atlanta coach Raheem Morris and retired linebacker Antonio Pierce, who most recently coached the Las Vegas Raiders, satisfy the Rooney Rule for diverse external candidates and would allow the Giants to make any hire they choose at this point. View the full article

Episode 21 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law is here. Preston and Coleman analyze Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti’s comments at Tuesday’s end-of-season news conference. Bisciotti explained why he fired longtime coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons with the team, while also sharing what he wants from the franchise’s next coach. You can watch the podcast weekly, posting every Tuesday during the NFL season on YouTube and The Baltimore Sun, and listen on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and iHeart. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

Among the most direct disclosures of organizational thinking that emanated from Tuesday’s end-of-season news conference was Steve Bisciotti’s firm backing of general manager Eric DeCosta. “I think Eric is one of the best GMs in the league,” Bisciotti said. “I think he’s batting .800. I’m just making up a number for you, but I’m not going to look at Eric’s 200 whiffs. I’ll look at his 800 singles and doubles and home runs. To me, that’s fair. I’m very, very pleased with Eric.” DeCosta sat beside Bisciotti and let his owner do most of the talking. He wore a black sweater and firm demeanor, broken a few times by blushing cheeks or a toothy laugh. DeCosta called these past six months a “very disappointing season,” then picked apart a few ways the Ravens fell short. They were inconsistent from game to game, sometimes half to half. The pass rush didn’t put enough pressure on the quarterback. The offensive line didn’t jell in ways they expected. Everyone underachieved, DeCosta said, from the coaching staff to the scouting staff to the players. “I think it was across the board, and we have to own that, and I think we will,” DeCosta said. “We’re excited about it. We’ve been in this position before, many times over the last 30 years where we’ve had to rebuild and tweak and change and adjust and really look at ourselves and say, ‘What can we do better?’ I think it starts with me; it starts with the new coaching staff; and I think the players will be accountable as well.” There were, of course, factors out of Baltimore’s control. All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, the team’s sacks leader two seasons ago, suffered a season-ending injury that caused a ripple effect to the rest of the defensive front. Then Broderick Washington went down for the year and DeCosta traded away Odafe Oweh, who was sackless in five games as a Raven but hit double digits as a Charger between the regular season and playoffs. DeCosta traded for Dre’Mont Jones to inject juice but it wasn’t enough. By January, what was left of the Ravens’ pass rush ranked 30th in sacks, 28th in pass rush win rate and 29th in pressure to sack rate. DeCosta pointed out how better pressure could’ve alleviated some of the defense’s back-end issues that were a point of frustration down the stretch. “I think Madubuike is part of the reason why Kyle Van Noy went from [12 1/2] sacks to two,” Bisciotti chimed in. “I think it was a domino effect; I think it was a trickle effect. … And I think those offensive linemen didn’t improve. And so, when I said the coaches, that’s what I meant. I think that you can look at a lot of guys on our team that we had expected to take the next step that did not take that next step. And we’ve got to get to the bottom of that with coaching and scouting.” Outside of drafting third-round rookie Emery Jones Jr, who appeared in just five games, offensive line was one of DeCosta’s least addressed position groups. The team expected development for a front anchored by two Pro Bowl blockers (Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum) and a promising sophomore (Roger Rosengarten). That didn’t quite pan out. Lamar Jackson’s lack of mobility playing through injury only hurt their overall metrics. Baltimore’s front five finished the regular season 31st in pressure rate allowed, according to NFL analyst Sam Hoppen. Related Articles Surprised but not shocked, Steelers prepare for life after Mike Tomlin 3 takeaways from Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and GM Eric DeCosta Ravens’ rebuilding plan hinges on Lamar Jackson: ‘We want another window’ Josh Tolentino: Ravens are ready to negotiate. Lamar Jackson remains a wild card. | COMMENTARY Chargers fire ex-Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman after playoff loss Tuesday was the first time DeCosta answered questions about his club since August. It was Bisciotti’s first in that formal setting since 2018. They were candid about what went wrong and issued a plan for how to rebound. That starts with Jackson’s contract. Whether the Ravens can strike a deal in the next two months will determine what’s possible. They hope to avoid what is currently set to climb from $43.5 million to $74.5 million this offseason, a value that would account for roughly one-quarter of the team’s cap space. Bisciotti and DeCosta put the ball in Jackson’s court. “We want another window, and Lamar knows that,” Bisciotti said. “I think he is amenable to doing something that mirrors the last deal that he did, although the annual number will be a little higher. But I’m hoping that it’s plug in your number in the same contract he signed [in 2023] and move on.” Bisciotti doesn’t want to hit free agency, which opens on March 11, with that contract hanging over their heads. He made that very clear to Jackson. DeCosta admitted they’ve been more reserved in free agency the past few years. He promised they will participate this spring and “we will trade for players.” Urgency is at an all-time high in Owings Mills. That starts with the coaching hire(s), then sorting out Jackson’s contract, and if they reach a team-friendly deal, building out the rest of a Super Bowl worthy roster. “I know that Eric has been very, very introspective about his failures and how they contributed to our dear friend being shown the door,” Bisciotti said. “And so, nobody’s harder on himself than Eric.” DeCosta’s job is safe. And Bisciotti is leaning on him to alleviate the pressure of the next coach and guide the transition process. “I think I can leave him alone for a while,” Bisciotti said. That is, as long as he continues to hit singles, doubles and a few roster home runs. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Ravens executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta, shown at Tuesday's news conference, says he'll use all avenues available to him to improve the roster ahead of next season. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) View the full article

PITTSBURGH — Art Rooney II sensed Mike Tomlin might be ready for a change. Nineteen years doing any job is a long time, let alone in the white-hot spotlight that comes with coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers. So when Tomlin walked into Rooney’s office on Tuesday and told his longtime boss he was stepping down after a largely successful run that included one Super Bowl victory, an appearance in another and 19 straight non-losing seasons, Rooney wasn’t shocked. “He was pretty clear about what his intentions were,” Rooney said Wednesday as the Steelers began the process of hiring just their fourth head coach since 1969. “We had a great conversation, and I understood where he was.” Rooney described the impetus behind Tomlin’s decision as “more family-related than football-related” and stressed the team was “certainly willing to make another run at it next year with Mike.” Tomlin went 193-114-2 in Pittsburgh, tied with Hall of Famer Chuck Noll for the ninth most regular-season wins in NFL history. Tomlin arrived in Pittsburgh in January 2007 as a relative unknown 34-year-old defensive coordinator. He left as the longest-tenured head coach in major North American professional sports with a resume that will receive strong Hall of Fame consideration of its own, even if he never coaches another game. Whether that happens is anyone’s guess, though Rooney said it was his understanding that Tomlin does not intend to coach in 2026. A future in television, even if it serves as merely a breather before the 53-year-old married father of three returns to the sideline, could be in the offing. Rooney did not try to talk Tomlin out of the decision, saying instead that the club is “grateful” for the way Tomlin carried himself both on and off the field during what Rooney described as a “winning era” for one of the league’s most visible franchises. That era, however, ended with the Steelers in a rut. Their season-ending 30-6 loss to Houston in the first round of the playoffs on Monday night marked Pittsburgh’s sixth straight one-and-done postseason appearance, all of them by multiple scores. “I can’t explain the more recent history there,” Rooney said. “It’s hard to explain, given the overall track record. Frustrating for all of us, mostly for Mike.” Fans inside Acrisure Stadium didn’t hesitate to voice their displeasure at times this season, chanting “Fire Tomlin!” on multiple occasions, including in the waning minutes against the Texans. Asked if those playoff failures factored into Tomlin’s decision to walk away, Rooney demurred. He also declined to get into specifics about what might happen should Tomlin want to return to coaching in 2027. Tomlin exited while still under team control for two more years, with the club holding the option for 2027. During the rare occasions the Steelers have found themselves looking for a head coach, they often have been looking for a certain type. Noll, Tomlin and Bill Cowher were all defensive coordinators in their 30s when Pittsburgh plucked them from relative anonymity. They all left with at least one Super Bowl ring. It’s far too early in the process for the club to start whittling down the field for a job that figures to be among the most coveted of the nine current head coach vacancies in the NFL, considering the Rooney family’s track record of giving coaches ample time to find their footing. “Can I sign up for another Chuck Noll or another Bill Cowher or another Mike Tomlin or somebody that we feel fits that mold? [That] would be great,” Rooney said. Rooney essentially ruled out any of the staff Tomlin left behind — including offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who has been contacted by Tennessee about its opening — from being a candidate to replace Tomlin, though it’s possible they may have an opportunity to stick around in some capacity if they mesh with the new hire. Whoever takes over will be given the same “the standard is the standard” mandate that Tomlin embraced, though it led to diminishing returns in his final years. “There will be changes, and we’ll have to all get comfortable with kind of the plans,” Rooney said. “Whether you call it a ‘rebuild’ or not, I don’t like that word that much. We’ll try to compete Day 1 if we can.” That plan seems unlikely to include Aaron Rodgers. The 42-year-old who helped guide the Steelers to the AFC North title will be a free agent in March, and Rodgers made it clear from the moment he arrived last June that Tomlin’s presence was the main reason he signed, a sentiment Rooney echoed on Wednesday. Rooney declined to put a timeline on a potential hire, though he expects it to be before the NFL combine in late February. The Steelers have the 21st overall pick in the draft, which they will be hosting for the first time. The club has long pointed to the draft as an opportunity to select its next franchise quarterback, something that has proven elusive since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement in January 2022. The discussion about the quarterbacks “will be an important one” when Rooney and general manager Omar Khan meet with prospective candidates. Whatever quarterback/coach combination walks onto the field at Acrisure Stadium next fall will be tasked with helping the franchise emerge from a decade of purgatory in which it has been good but not nearly good enough, and do so quickly. “I’m not going to say, ‘Well, we’re going to take a couple years to figure this out, and then we’ll try and compete,’” Rooney said. “So I think you try every year. Some years you have the horses to really get there, some years you don’t. But you try.” View the full article

On Tuesday afternoon, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Eric DeCosta spent roughly an hour fielding questions about another disappointing end to a season that begot a head coach firing. Insights abound. Here are three takeaways: Harbaugh’s tenure ended with the ‘craziest firing in the world’ Bisciotti first spoke with DeCosta about the possibility of an organizational shake-up maybe three or four weeks before the season ended. The Ravens were down on the mat. Confidence waned in their ability to get up and reach the playoffs. It wasn’t until Baltimore’s heartbreaking Week 18 loss in Pittsburgh that Bisciotti was certain that it was time to move on from John Harbaugh. He woke up the morning after “pretty sure” he was going to do it. Bisciotti consulted front office members as well as several veteran players. A day later, he phoned his coach of 18 seasons. “I never dreamed of firing somebody by phone,” Bisciotti said. What followed, he later described half-jokingly as “the craziest firing in the world.” Bisciotti delivered the news and apologized for doing it over the phone. Harbaugh told him he had no reason to be sorry, saying, “You don’t owe me anything. You gave me 18 years. You picked a special teams guy. Who does that?” Harbaugh told Bisciotti he was equal parts happy and content and disappointed. Bisciotti started to get emotional. His fired coach consoled him. The call didn’t last very long. Some front office members previously pledged support for keeping Harbaugh, who coached Baltimore to a Super Bowl title and has the second-most playoff game appearances (24) of any NFL coach since 2008. This was ultimately Bisciotti’s choice. He listened to his gut, deviating from what some of his partners believed. By Tuesday, he was “pretty damn sure” that he would not come to regret the decision. Bisciotti followed up with Harbaugh two days after firing him. On a longer phone call, Bisciotti rehashed, in part, all the negative narratives of the past few years: blown fourth-quarter leads and playoff regression that labeled the Ravens “underperformers.” Seeing a sector of the fanbase’s online vitriol toward Harbaugh ate away at Bisciotti. The call wasn’t all doom and gloom. They shared plenty of success together but both knew it was time. “I felt it was the right time to make the change. If not now, when? I guess is what I’m saying,” Bisciotti said. “I thought, ‘If I’m already here, and my gut is telling me it’s time, why would I let John rebuild an entire staff?’ Because I’m going to be sitting here next year saying, ‘What the hell did I do last year? Last year was the time.’ So, it wouldn’t have been fair, because I think we had run our course. “The next coach we get, I want him to be a Super Bowl-winning coach, too. God bless him if he can rise up to the level John did and be staring at a gold jacket.” Baltimore isn’t pigeon-holing itself with this coaching search Within hours of Harbaugh’s firing, Hall of Fame coach turned broadcast analyst Tony Dungy posted on X that he simply did not understand Bisciotti’s decision. “He was fired????” Dungy wrote. “I’m sorry but I don’t understand. Good luck Baltimore in finding a better coach.” Bisciotti nearly called Dungy. Instead, he waited for Tuesday, in a room full of cameras and reporters, to push back. “I literally wanted to call Tony and say, ‘Do you remember John 18 years ago? How can you take our success and use it against me while we’re out trying to find the next John Harbaugh?’” Bisciotti said. “That’s impossible.” Related Articles Ravens’ rebuilding plan hinges on Lamar Jackson: ‘We want another window’ Josh Tolentino: Ravens are ready to negotiate. Lamar Jackson remains a wild card. | COMMENTARY Chargers fire ex-Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman after playoff loss Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti’s exit plan? Win big and ‘get the hell out.’ Ravens owner ‘very intrigued’ by top coach candidates from previous cycles When the Ravens hired Harbaugh, he was a relatively unknown 45-year-old special teams coach in Philadelphia. Bisciotti took a chance on his first head coaching hire because he saw something in him. With his second hire, he isn’t necessarily holding out for the safe bet former head coach. Bisciotti, who is sitting out the initial round of Zoom interviews but will be part of the discussion for in-person meetings, said he won’t be turned off by losing records at previous stops. The Ravens group at the forefront of this decision — Bisciotti, DeCosta, president Sashi Brown and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome — are prepared for the possibility of backlash for hiring a coach who might have had a losing record at a previous stop. Among the eight candidates interviewed as of Tuesday, that could include Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, former Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury or former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, among others. Failure is not without circumstances. Ravens brass won’t let a coach’s first try negatively influence their shot at a second one if they believe that’s the right person for Baltimore. Beyond that, Bisciotti didn’t gush over the idea of an offensive wiz kid. He didn’t sound particularly invested in the idea of hiring a top-flight defensive coordinator ready to make the jump either. What about a retread head coach? “I really couldn’t care [less],” Bisciotti said. “We want leaders,” DeCosta chimed in. “We want the best leader we can find. We want somebody who’s going to hold the players accountable. We want somebody who’s an expert in X’s and O’s, and we want somebody who the players can relate to, but also somebody that’s going to be firm and continue the culture that we’ve build, which we think is important.” With this next coach, patience is a virtue Brian Billick was hired as head coach of the Ravens in January 1999. Two years later, he won a Super Bowl. Harbaugh was hired in 2008. Five years later, he delivered Baltimore’s second title. “Maybe I’ll give this guy six [years],” Bisciotti cackled. In all seriousness, he’s willing to be patient with a new coach trying to get this team to the big game in February. Bisciotti didn’t give a serious timeline. He was clear, both in his statement after relieving Harbaugh and again a week later, that championships matter above all else. “I think we have a roster that’s capable of it,” Bisciotti said. “I think we have a GM that’s capable of making that roster better on the fly, and yes, I’ll be patient to that point. I’d probably give him five or six years — as long as I like everything else I see in him.” Bisciotti has no interest in sitting at that same table inside the Under Armour Performance Center to field questions about another fired coach three or four years from now. A few of his owner peers around the league do that. To Bisciotti, “that’s hell on Earth.” So his plan, as of mid-January, is pick a coach they’re so confident in that they’re willing to grant a decent amount of patience. That will require a balancing act from organizational higher ups. They’ll act with urgency knowing the window of Lamar Jackson’s prime will only be open for so many more years. Jackson just turned 29 and he’s coming off the most disappointing season of his career, which was largely because of injuries. Derrick Henry isn’t getting any younger either. At 32, it doesn’t appear he’s slowing down, but eventually Father Time comes knocking. He’ll come for the 65-year-old Bisciotti too. Asked whether he intends to own the team 10 or 15 years from now, the jovial owner shouted, “I’ll be 80!” He decided 25 years ago the Ravens will not be passed down within the Bisciotti family. He doesn’t want to be in his 80s still vying for a championship like Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. He’d much prefer to “win a couple of Super Bowls and get the hell out.” Easier said than done. “I’d love that to be in the next 10 years when I’m 75. That’s my dream,” Bisciotti said. “If I have one of the top teams at 75, I’ll probably stay until 76. I’ll probably bail somewhere around 10 years from now when I have a really bad season or back-to-back seasons and he’ll [DeCosta] probably be coming with me. Right?” Bisciotti made light of organizational urgency. Truth is, expectations are sky high for whichever coach wins the most coveted job opening this offseason. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. View the full article

The microphone on Lamar Jackson’s cell phone is apparently working just fine these days. A week ago, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti fired coach John Harbaugh. After 18 seasons, one Super Bowl title and a dozen postseason appearances, a more recent string of blown fourth-quarter leads, playoff regression and not living up to expectations led to the billionaire’s instincts believing that now was the time to relieve the only coach he’d ever hired of his duties. Amid that decision, Bisciotti also spoke with Jackson the night before he let Harbaugh go. He has talked to him in the days since, too. Bisciotti even extended an open-ended invitation to the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player to use his private jet to fly him to town to be part of the process of hiring the next coach. While Bisciotti said that Jackson did not play an “outsized” role in Harbaugh’s dismissal and the star will have “a lot of say” but “no power” in who will replace him, the owner’s feelings about the 2018 first-round draft pick who on the night Baltimore selected him promised to bring a third Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Charm City couldn’t have been clearer. The 65-year-old who said that he possibly plans to own the team for around another 10 years or so and the Ravens are all in. “I want him to be my quarterback,” Bisciotti said Tuesday when asked if he is 100% sold on the 29-year-old being the central figure in the organization for the foreseeable future. Now the only questions are how and if that will happen and what it will mean for Baltimore. Jackson still has two years left on his current contract, but with a $74.5 million salary due each of the next two seasons, his cap hit would be prohibitive for a team perennially tight on space and long on needs, from the offensive line, to a bonafide pass rusher to re-signing some of their roughly two dozen free agents. That’s why there is an urgency to get an extension signed, which would be the second one of Jackson’s career after he signed a five-year, $260 million deal in 2023 following two long and at times contentious years of negotiations that included the quarterback at one point saying that he couldn’t talk to DeCosta because his cell phone microphone was broken. Despite the stalemate that led to a public trade request before an agreement was finally reached, Bisciotti believes that not only is Jackson the man to take him where he wants to go, but that they will be able to reach an understanding. There are also mathematical gymnastics that can be played, including reworking his current contract to push the $74.5 million out into void years, though that’s not the preference for Bisciotti. “We want another window, and Lamar knows that,” he said. “I think that he’s amenable to doing something that mirrors the last deal he did, although the annual number will be a little higher. But I’m hoping that it’s, plug a new number into the same contract he signed last year and move on. “And the urgency of that matters to me because we’ve got free agents, and I don’t want to go into free agency with that hanging over our head. I made that clear to Lamar, and I think he was very appreciative of my stance, and hopefully willing to work with Eric and not get this thing dragged out into April like it was the last time. It was very hard for him to build a roster when that thing is not settled.” "I think we underachieved as a scouting staff, as a coaching staff and as players," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said of the 2025 season. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Building, or in many ways rebuilding, the current roster is among DeCosta’s primary objectives — behind, of course, signing Jackson to an extension. Doing the latter would allow him to address the many needs the team has. Pick just about any position group and there is a desire to revamp, be it on the offensive line, at outside linebacker, on the defensive line, at wide receiver, cornerback or elsewhere. “When you underachieve, you can blame a lot of things,” DeCosta said. “We didn’t play consistently from game to game. Some games, the offense played well, the defense didn’t perform well. Some halves, the offense looked good and the defense didn’t. “I think generally speaking, we’ve got to do a better job of creating pressure on defense — that will help the secondary, I think, being complementary on defense that way. Getting after it affecting the quarterback — affecting the pocket would be something big. I know the offensive line seemed to be a narrative this year. … I think we underachieved as a scouting staff, as a coaching staff and as players.” Related Articles Josh Tolentino: Ravens are ready to negotiate. Lamar Jackson remains a wild card. | COMMENTARY Chargers fire ex-Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman after playoff loss Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti’s exit plan? Win big and ‘get the hell out.’ Ravens owner ‘very intrigued’ by top coach candidates from previous cycles Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will have a say in next coach, but ‘no power’ How to improve on that, DeCosta added, includes looking internally and what can be done better. “I think it starts with me; it starts with the new coaching staff; and I think the players will be accountable as well,” DeCosta said. It also includes the ability to go after what he called potential “big-ticket” stars, something that is made difficult if not impossible unless the Ravens can sign Jackson to an extension to lower his salary cap hit. That, of course, starts with being able to communicate with the quarterback in the first place and the two sides being on the same page, particularly with a new coach being hired in the coming weeks. Was it where it needed to be this past season under Harbaugh and the rest of his staff? Bisciotti said that Jackson told him that he had no issues with Harbaugh or offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Now that one is gone and the other to follow, it will be imperative for Jackson and the new regime, along with the owner and general manager, to be simpatico. “I think communication can always be better,” DeCosta said. “You have to over-communicate; I believe in that. “I think with players, especially, they’re looking for feedback. They want to have a voice, but you also have to encourage the feedback and encourage the voice and work and set expectations and hold people accountable every single day. That’s what the most successful organizations do on a consistent basis, whether that’s with your star quarterback or your third-string inside linebacker; you have to set expectations, hold players accountable, foster a relationship where they love this place and love this culture, and football’s the most important thing in their lives.” For Jackson and the Ravens, that starts with talking, so they’ve at least got that going for them. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

“I have the power.” As Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti explained Lamar Jackson’s involvement in the coaching search Tuesday, he drew a clear line, one that will help shape the franchise’s next phase as it attempts to replace 18-year head coach John Harbaugh. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player will have input, and the quarterback’s voice is expected to be valued. But the authority still ultimately resides with the organization, even as Jackson holds a different type of leverage. Everything Bisciotti candidly laid out spelled a dynamic built on commitment with boundaries, and a public challenge for their franchise quarterback as necessary contract negotiations await. Bisciotti, sporting a beige suit, fielded questions for more than an hour alongside general manager Eric DeCosta in what was his first meeting with local media since 2022. The Ravens rarely offer this level of transparency from ownership. The last time Bisciotti held a news conference at the team’s headquarters in Owings Mills was in 2018, Jackson’s rookie season. Bisciotti confirmed that he spoke with Jackson before firing Harbaugh last week and added the quarterback will have “a lot of say” in the next coaching hire. But he soon followed his comments with more clarity that felt intentional. “I have the power,” Bisciotti said. “I care about my players very much, but I can’t give them power.” Jackson, of course, is central to everything the Ravens do. Bisciotti made it clear, though, that Jackson is not directing the franchise’s next major decision, especially coming off one of the worst years of his accomplished career, a season in which he missed four games because of several lower-body injuries. Jackson completed 63.6% of his passes, finishing with 2,549 passing yards, 21 touchdown passes and seven interceptions across 13 starts. His 349 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns both marked career lows. Amid all of this hovers Jackson’s looming contract situation. The 29-year-old quarterback is under contract for three more seasons, but his cap number skyrockets to $74.5 million next season, representing roughly a quarter of the team’s salary cap. It’s an untenable figure for a team looking to desperately rebound from missing the playoffs completely after Baltimore was widely labeled a Super Bowl favorite. “The urgency of [settling Jackson’s contract] matters to me because we’ve got free agents and I don’t want to go into free agency with that hanging over our head,” Bisciotti said. “And I made that clear to Lamar and I think he was very appreciative of my stance and hopefully willing to work with [DeCosta] and not get this thing dragged out into [May] like the last time. “It’s very hard for him to build a roster when that thing is not settled.” Biscotti speaks from experience. Related Articles Ravens’ rebuilding plan hinges on Lamar Jackson: ‘We want another window’ Chargers fire ex-Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman after playoff loss Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti’s exit plan? Win big and ‘get the hell out.’ Ravens owner ‘very intrigued’ by top coach candidates from previous cycles Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will have a say in next coach, but ‘no power’ The last round of negotiations involving Jackson dragged and spilled into public view, including Jackson’s trade request in March 2023 and stretches of uncertainty that followed. At one point, Jackson even claimed that he couldn’t field calls from the team because his phone microphone was broken, a sign of just how disconnected the process had become. Eventually, Jackson, who does not employ an agent, signed a five-year extension worth $260 million with $185 million guaranteed that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time. Bisciotti noted Tuesday that in the scenario in which the two sides can’t reach a new deal, the Ravens could lower Jackson’s cap figure by spreading out the cap hit in void years. “You can play with that money all you want. That’s not what we want,” the owner said. Jackson, who turned 29 last Wednesday, declined to discuss his contract situation after the team’s season-ending loss to Pittsburgh earlier in the month. “We just lost a game — a divisional game — a game to put us in the playoffs,” he said. “I’m not even thinking about [my contract] right now, to be honest with you. I’m still caught up in what just happened. That’s not my focus right now.” Just over two weeks later, Bisciotti made sure Tuesday to convey the team’s dynamic related to Jackson. He also outlined a potential path forward with a deal that mirrors Jackson’s previous contract structure. “I want him to be my quarterback,” Bisciotti said. “We want another [Super Bowl] window and Lamar knows that.” This actually is where Jackson’s true leverage lies. The Ravens are signaling the need for alignment that is dependent on how Jackson will soon navigate and prioritize his timing, structure and levels of communication and collaboration. Jackson rightfully doesn’t control the coaching hire. DeCosta is hopeful to narrow down the list of more than a dozen candidates to four or five finalists by next week, and he’s invited Jackson to be part of those important conversations with the final group. Ultimately, Jackson doesn’t have the power, according to Bisciotti. Jackson, though, does control how quickly the lingering sense of uncertainty clears. He controls whether the Ravens enter free agency and the NFL Draft with comfort and clarity or unnecessary constraint. By extension, Jackson controls how easily the front office can build the kind of roster that gives him another legitimate shot at his first elusive Super Bowl title. The ball is in Jackson’s court. Is he ready to dabble in expected tough conversations? Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, and executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta hold a news conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. The two say they're eager to discuss Lamar Jackson's contract with the star quarterback. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) “I think communication can always be better,” DeCosta said of Jackson’s relationship with team officials. “Just if you think you’re a great communicator, then you need to be a better communicator. You have to overcommunicate. I believe in that. …That’s what the most successful organizations do on a consistent basis, whether that’s with your star quarterback or your third-string inside linebacker — you have to set expectations, hold players accountable, foster a relationship where they love this place and love this culture, and football’s the most important thing in their lives.” Tuesday served as a public declaration for Jackson to engage with his employer and move forward with contract discussions. Over the following days, Baltimore will continue its ever-important coaching interview process. Jackson remains a key piece to the team’s future plans and is being kept abreast regarding his next potential head coach. With Jackson’s contract status up in the air, it has created a riveting dynamic between the franchise and its most important player. “[Jackson will have] a lot of say, but he has no power,” Bisciotti said. “I have the power. They have opinions, and I want them all. I care about my players very much, but I can’t give them power.” The Ravens insist on remaining to true to the organization, while they also continue to lift Jackson. In return, they’re hoping for smoother cooperation from an unpredictable wild card. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and offensive line coach Mike Devlin on Tuesday, two days after the team lost 16-3 to the New England Patriots in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Roman spent two seasons as the Chargers’ OC after previously holding the position with the Ravens, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. Los Angeles posted back-to-back 11-6 seasons but lost its playoff opener each time, scoring a total of 15 points in the two games. After Sunday night’s game, coach Jim Harbaugh was asked if Roman was the right person to be calling plays and declined to give Roman a vote of confidence. “Right now I don’t have the answers,” he said. “We’re going to look at that, at everything. It really falls on me that we weren’t at our best tonight. I don’t have the answers. I wish I did.” Devlin followed a seven-year career as an offensive lineman for Buffalo and Arizona as an offensive line coach for the Cardinals, Jets, Texans and Ravens before spending the last two seasons with the Cardinals. Los Angeles lost both of its starting offensive tackles to season-ending injuries, and Chargers quarterbacks were sacked 60 times — second-worst in the NFL — in 2025. Justin Herbert was brought down six times on Sunday night. The Chargers haven’t won a postseason game since 2018. Herbert is 0-3 in the playoffs for his career. View the full article

Steve Bisciotti smiled when the question came up. In 15 years, the Ravens owner will be 80 — and he doesn’t expect to still be in charge of the franchise. Speaking publicly for the first time in four years, Bisciotti used this week’s news conference to open up about his future while also addressing Baltimore’s coaching search after the firing of John Harbaugh. “I want to win a couple Super Bowls and get the hell out,” Bisciotti said. “I’d love that to be within the next 10 years from when I’m 75. That’s my dream.” Bisciotti, 65, first purchased a 49% stake in the franchise in March 2000 before acquiring a majority share in April 2004. The Ravens have won two Super Bowls during his tenure — one in 2001 when he was a minority owner and another in 2013 as the controlling owner. He remains deeply competitive and engaged with the organization, a reality proven by his decision last week to fire Harbaugh. But Bisciotti said he doesn’t envision maintaining that same intensity well into his 80s, even taking a lighthearted jab at Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “When I see Jerry talking about what part of his anatomy he’d give up for a Super Bowl at 83 years old, I don’t want to be there,” Bisciotti said. If the Ravens remain one of the NFL’s top teams when he turns 75, he said he may stay a year or two longer. But his message was clear. “I’ll probably bail somewhere around 10 years from now,” Bisciotti said. Bisciotti said the Ravens will be sold to a new ownership group rather than passed down within his family. He has seen firsthand how inherited ownership can fracture families and destabilize franchises. Some of the league’s most famous family-run organizations — including the Bears, Lions and Raiders — have spent decades mired in dysfunction after control passed from their founders to their heirs. There’s often internal disputes, unclear leadership structures and football decisions driven by family politics rather than expertise. Those power struggles have coincided with prolonged losing, front-office instability and, in some cases, the erosion of once-proud brands. It’s exactly the outcome Bisciotti wants to avoid. “I don’t think its healthy for my family,” he said. “I’ve seen families feud and ruined over these damn teams, and I was determined not to do it.” When Bisciotti first became involved with the Ravens, he noted that Patriots owner Robert “Bob” Kraft and Jones were younger than he is now. Today, Kraft and Jones, along with Falcons owner Arthur Blank, 83, and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, 85, are still running their teams at ages far beyond what Bisciotti envisions for himself, he said. The Ravens’ owner has also taken a step back in recent years. He framed it Tuesday as a choice rooted more in family than football. Related Articles Chargers fire ex-Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman after playoff loss Ravens owner ‘very intrigued’ by top coach candidates from previous cycles Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will have a say in next coach, but ‘no power’ Mike Preston: Trust Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and his instincts | COMMENTARY Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti explains firing of coach John Harbaugh Bisciotti described a moment of self-awareness in the early 2010s when he realized he wasn’t being fully truthful with his wife about what buying an NFL team would mean. He had promised it would be more “hobby” than “business.” The deeper he got into league committees and the grind of ownership, the more he felt himself slipping into the 70-hour-week version of the job. Family started coming second. “I dreamed of a gold jacket like the Maras and the Rooneys and that kind of dissipated,” Bisciotti said. “In order to earn a gold jacket as an owner, you better be putting in 70-hour weeks … I wasn’t willing to do that.” That retreat has been visible publicly, too. The owner who once made annual “State of the Ravens” appearances largely stopped doing them, and he acknowledged why: he didn’t see the benefit of routinely dissecting playoff exits from the podium when the people making the football decisions were better positioned to explain them. Bisciotti doesn’t come around often anymore. But the owner who once held court every winter was back this week because, in his mind, this wasn’t just another season’s end. It was a franchise pivot. “My instincts told me this was the time,” Bisciotti said. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, or x.com/Mikephowes. View the full article

Don’t be surprised if the Ravens’ next coach is someone who’s been fired from the top job before. At the team’s headquarters in Owings Mills on Tuesday, owner Steve Bisciotti said that Baltimore would strongly consider someone who’s already been a head coach and didn’t get a fair shake the first time. “I am very intrigued by coaches that were the hottest offensive and defensive coordinators — five, six, seven years ago in their cycles — and got jobs and went to teams that were noncompetitive and didn’t have a quarterback,” Bisciotti said. The Ravens, who last week fired coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons with the organization, have already interviewed Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph — all former head coaches who were eventually fired. There’s another common thread: all but Nagy finished their previous stops with losing records. Baltimore is also expected to interview former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and former Jets coach Robert Saleh. McDaniel went 35-33 across four seasons in Miami. Saleh had a 20-36 mark in three-plus years and never had a winning season. But the losing records — and just one playoff win among the seven — aren’t mistaken for a lack of viable options to Bisciotti. “If our final candidate is an ex-coach who has a losing record, you all are going to have to understand that we are going to be able to judge that failure with his circumstances and marry that up and not disqualify them,” he said. “You have to remember that they were the hottest coaches in their cycle, and they got jobs, and they got tough jobs, and I don’t think we have a tough job.” The Ravens have already requested to or have interviewed more coaches than they did the last time they sought a new coach in 2008. With 15 currently in that group, Baltimore has more than doubled the total of six from Bisciotti’s first search. Baltimore, as Bisciotti put it, should be the best job available. The Ravens have a franchise quarterback in Lamar Jackson under contract for at least two more seasons. With Jackson, Baltimore has reached the playoffs in six of the past eight seasons, earning the AFC’s No. 1 seed twice. The Ravens’ opening is so appealing, Bisciotti said, that college coaches have reached out to the organization about the vacancy — even though the team has not contacted them. Related Articles Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will have a say in next coach, but ‘no power’ Mike Preston: Trust Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and his instincts | COMMENTARY Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti explains firing of coach John Harbaugh Mike Tomlin to the Ravens? ‘Holy s–t. Wouldn’t that be awesome?’ Who should coach the Ravens? Reporters discuss who should replace Harbaugh. “I don’t know how hard that would be,” Bisciotti said about a college coach’s transition to the NFL. “But if I was a college coach dealing with that portal and the NIL, I’d be at my doorstep. I can’t imagine what these guys are going through.” Retread hires have been successful for organizations in the past. Bill Belichick went 37-45 in five seasons with Cleveland before winning six Super Bowl titles in New England. Pete Carroll was fired from both the Patriots and the Jets before winning a Super Bowl in Seattle and transforming the culture. Tony Dungy, who criticized the move to fire Harbaugh, won two playoff games with Tampa Bay in six years before leading Peyton Manning and the Colts to a Super Bowl victory. “If I hire an offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator, none of y’all can say anything about his poor record the first time he was a head coach,” Bisciotti said. “It would be very easy for me to try and avoid those ex-head coaches, because they have losing records. But I’m telling you, we are keen to their circumstances, and we won’t let their first shot at a job influence us negatively.” Some candidates would be first-time head coaches in Baltimore if hired, including Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak — both of whom have ties to the organization. Weaver served as a Ravens defensive assistant from 2021 to 2023 and played in Baltimore under former coach Brian Billick, while Kubiak’s father, Gary, was the team’s offensive coordinator during the 2014 season. That familiarity, however, can complicate how candidates are evaluated, Bisciotti said, because it can give those with inside knowledge of the organization an edge in interviews. Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti reacts to news of Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down during a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti reacts to news of Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down during a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti reacts to news of Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down during a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, and executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta hold a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, and executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta hold a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)"I don't think we have a tough job," Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said Tuesday during a news conference with general manager Eric DeCosta. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, and executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta hold a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, bumps fist with executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta during a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, bumps fist with executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta during a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, and executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta hold a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti waves to the gathering as he enters with executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta for a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, and executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta leave after a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)"I don't think we have a tough job," Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said Tuesday during a news conference with general manager Eric DeCosta. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti holds a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, and executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta hold a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, and executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta hold a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti holds a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Baltimore Ravens executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta holds a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Show Caption1 of 18Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti reacts to news of Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down during a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)Expand “You’re kind of handicapping fairly a person that has seen us from afar, but has no intimate knowledge of us,” Bisciotti said. “Eric’s pretty smart and capable of handicapping that knowledge and taking it out of it when he’s looking at them as equals.” Bisciotti also made clear that Baltimore is not prioritizing one side of the ball over the other in its search. Instead, he framed the decision around assembling the right staff — not just choosing a coach. DeCosta said that the hiring process will continue with additional first-round interviews over the next several days before the Ravens narrow the field to a small group of finalists. Those candidates would then be brought in for full-day, in-person sessions across the organization, a process DeCosta likened to a “three-week NFL draft.” “It’s not just the head coach,” the general manager said. “It’s, who [are their] coordinators? What are they going to look like? Offensive line coach, secondary coach. [We need to] find the right combination of coaches that make us better.” In a search that Bisciotti described as deliberate and wide-ranging, Baltimore is betting that the right hire will matter more than the fastest one. They are in no rush to make a decision. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. View the full article

Lamar Jackson was on the phone with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti the night before John Harbaugh was fired. He’s been texting with general manager Eric DeCosta after every coaching candidate interview. Baltimore’s superstar quarterback even has an open invitation to fly in Bisciotti’s personal airplane if he’s interested in having a presence during this all-important process. “[Jackson will have] a lot of say,” Bisciotti said, “but he has no power.” The team’s longtime owner met with reporters Tuesday in the aftermath of his decision to fire Harbaugh. It was his first time speaking with non-team reporters since 2022 and his first formal news conference at the practice facility in Owings Mills since February 2018. Bisciotti offered clarity on what has been a most pressing question as the Ravens navigate the spillage from such a disappointing season: How much say will Jackson have on the direction of the team? “They [players] have opinions and I want them all,” Bisciotti said. “I care about my players very much but I can’t give them power.” Jackson is the centerpiece of Baltimore’s Super Bowl aspirations. With four Pro Bowl selections, three All-Pro nods and a hefty $260 million contract, Ravens brass made clear that he’s the guy they want hoisting a trophy. They value his opinion, as they made clear Tuesday. The evening of Monday, Jan. 5, the night before he fired Harbaugh, Bisciotti said that he spoke with several veteran players. Jackson made clear to Bisciotti over the phone that, despite several reports indicating otherwise, he did not have a problem with Harbaugh or offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Jackson was candid. He told Bisciotti, the owner said, that they “probably” need to make changes after a regression that barred Baltimore from the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Many figured that would be one or both of the coordinators and perhaps a collection of assistant coaches, not a full-blown reset. “That’s probably more for you and [DeCosta],” Jackson told him. “Well, your opinion matters,” Bisciotti replied. Before they got off the phone, Bisciotti told Jackson that the decision to fire Harbaugh was “pretty set,” although not “iron-clad.” News of Harbaugh’s firing broke the next day. Bisciotti said that the face of his franchise did not have “an outsized” say in the decision. Ravens team owner, Steve Bisciotti, left, speaks with quarterback Lamar Jackson before the 2025 season opener against the Browns. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) The Ravens have since turned to an exhaustive process of finding their next head coach. As of Tuesday afternoon, eight candidates have completed interviews. Eight or nine others will speak with the team via Zoom by Sunday. DeCosta has been messaging with Jackson after every interview, Bisciotti said, pointing to the man sitting beside him. Jackson is notoriously tough to stay in contact with during the offseason, but it’s clear the Ravens are making every effort to keep the quarterback abreast. “I think he’s getting some opinions from Lamar,” said Bisciotti, who acknowledged that he’s sitting out the initial round of interviews but will be present for the in-person follow-ups beginning next week. “I said to Lamar last night, when they call me up from Florida, you better get your [butt] up here too. … I said to Lamar, you can jump on my plane or find another way to get up there [to Baltimore]. If you’re that interested, then we’re gonna get a schedule, he’s gonna call you up, he’s gonna offer you the same luxury. I said, ‘I hope you take it.’” Jackson replied, “Yes sir, I think I will.” Related Articles Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti explains firing of coach John Harbaugh Mike Tomlin to the Ravens? ‘Holy s–t. Wouldn’t that be awesome?’ Who should coach the Ravens? Reporters discuss who should replace Harbaugh. Inside what went wrong for the Ravens and why John Harbaugh was fired READER POLL: Who should be the Ravens’ next coach? Whether the quarterback follows through remains to be seen. He doesn’t have a reputation of being in the building during the offseason. Still, the front office would prefer to make this decision in lock-step with Jackson. This was a down year for the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player. Jackson dealt with several injuries. During one two-month stretch, he missed at least one practice every week. Fans weren’t treated to the full strength of Jackson’s quarterback mastery until, perhaps, the fourth quarter of Week 18 in Pittsburgh. Still, just that performance in the waning minutes of the season was enough of a reminder that Jackson hasn’t lost his fastball. Bisciotti and DeCosta were adamant Jackson is their quarterback of the future. They verbalized confidence in an ability to renegotiate a deal Jackson — whose salary-cap hit climbs to $74.5 million each of the next two seasons — so they can maintain a contending team around him. That requires ironing out an agreement before free agency begins in March. Success in Baltimore starts and stops with Jackson. He’ll have input in the direction of the organization, as many expect. At the end of the day, it’s Bisciotti’s call. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. View the full article

It’s been one week since Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti fired coach John Harbaugh, and since then he has made all the right moves. He is ahead of the proceedings, first by announcing last Tuesday that the Ravens were firing the embattled coach, one day after three NFL coaches were dismissed on “Black Monday.” Then the following Tuesday, Bisciotti held a news conference, his first since 2022. Wow. Bisciotti, 65, finally pulled back his cloak of invisibility to the media and fans instead of waiting for their usual pilgrimage to Jupiter, Florida, with team president Sashi Brown, general manager Eric DeCosta, vice president of player personnel Ozzie Newsome and Harbaugh meeting annually. Oops, sorry about that. Harbaugh is gone. Anyway, the Ravens are moving forward and Bisciotti has stepped up. He could have procrastinated and kept both Harbaugh and fans dangling for another week, but he made the announcement, which was timely. For him to hold a news conference, too, that’s mind-boggling and downright earth-shattering. Now, we’ll see where the Ravens will go from here, but at least Bisciotti has taken charge. If it was Dallas owner Jerry Jones, the Ravens might be in trouble, but at least Bisciotti hired Harbaugh, who lasted an unprecedented 18 years. That is a statement within itself, especially since the average span of an NFL head coach is around three years. The Ravens will end up interviewing about 20 candidates, including offensive coordinators Klint Kubiak (Seattle), Kliff Kingsbury (formerly Washington) and Matt Nagy (Kansas City) and defensive coordinators Anthony Weaver (Miami), Robert Saleh (San Francisco) and Jesse Minter (Los Angeles Chargers). Of course, the show stopper during Tuesday’s news conference was Bisciotti being asked about coach Mike Tomlin, who stepped down after 19 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday. The response was colorful, and even though there are reports that Tomlin, 53, isn’t coaching next season, the Ravens should have interest. Tomlin is a fighter, and Pittsburgh beat Baltimore twice this past season to win the AFC North. But I like Bisciotti being in control. He admitted to a shake down while interviewing current Ravens last week before firing Harbaugh, and that was the right move. Bisciotti did the same thing after the 2007 season when he fired then-coach Brian Billick, as he interviewed players such as Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Bisciotti said that he spoke with star quarterback and two-time Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson about Harbaugh’s situation last week, but he treated Jackson much like he did Lewis in 2007. They have opinions, but no control. Veterans on the team feared Harbaugh in his first year in 2008 because he was tougher than Billick, who had light training camp practices and virtually no contact near the end of the season. Remember, Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden retired in June a month before Harbaugh’s first training camp. Top cornerback Chris McAlister signed with New Orleans one year after playing for Harbaugh. The Ravens were not “team harmony.” Bisciotti made the same promise to Jackson as he did to Lewis in 2007. “A lot of say, but he has no power. I have the power,” Bisciotti said of Jackson. “They have opinions and I want them all. I care about my players very much, but I can’t give them power.” Related Articles Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti explains firing of coach John Harbaugh Mike Tomlin to the Ravens? ‘Holy s–t. Wouldn’t that be awesome?’ Who should coach the Ravens? Reporters discuss who should replace Harbaugh. Inside what went wrong for the Ravens and why John Harbaugh was fired READER POLL: Who should be the Ravens’ next coach? A lot of the media has focused on building this team around Jackson, but that would be wrong. It’s all about balance. Teams in the NFL exploit weaknesses. The best teams don’t always win the Super Bowl, but teams usually win because they have the least amount of weaknesses. Memo to DeCosta: Go build up the interior lines. The Ravens didn’t have a consistent pass rush, which is why they were ranked No. 30 in pass defense, allowing almost 250 yards per game. They couldn’t protect Jackson, who also couldn’t decide whether he wanted to run or pass as he was sacked 45 times and pressured on several other occasions. Somewhere, somehow, DeCosta has to start investing in first-round draft picks on the offensive and defensive lines. Bisciotti talked a lot about instincts Tuesday, and he was right. The Ravens were a mess. They had no offensive identity until the final three games, and the defense, especially the secondary, was abysmal. His instincts, though, are a key. In 1983, he invested $5,000 with his cousin, Jim Davis, to buy a place over a bakery in Baltimore to develop Aerotek, which is now the largest privately owned staffing and recruiting company in the United States, located in Hanover. Today, Bisciotti’s net worth is an estimated $8.5 billion, according to Forbes. Much has been said about the way Bisciotti fired Harbaugh through a phone call as Harbaugh was driving home, but I don’t care. That’s so stupid. They spent 18 years together. I remember how former Ravens owner Art Modell fired coach Ted Marchibroda after three seasons. Modell cried the entire time as he slow walked back to his office, which was only 20 yards away from Marchibroda. Bisciotti and Harbaugh had a special relationship. I watched as Bisciotti and Harbaugh would meet after games in Bisciotti’s private suite at M&T Bank Stadium. Bisciotti expressed anger Tuesday at those on social media who would criticize his coach after losses, and pointed out that it was a team effort, not just on Harbaugh. If you really want to see their friendship, go look at their parting statements once Harbaugh was terminated. Does that appear to be anger, or a coach who was not appreciative of being named a head coach after coming from a special teams background? It was Bisciotti who spoke to Harbaugh days after the firing about which NFL vacancy the coach should pursue. “We are friends and we will remain friends,” Bisciotti said. Bisciotti made the right move. His instincts were correct, and so was the decision to speak to the media on Tuesday. After having the best record in the NFL in 2023, the Ravens lost to Kansas City in the AFC championship game, and then to Buffalo in the divisional round last season. The Ravens failed to make the playoffs this season after losing twice to Pittsburgh, including the regular season finale that decided the AFC North title. So far, his instincts have been good. It’s already been a good offseason. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in his first time speaking with reporters since firing coach John Harbaugh last week said Tuesday in Owings Mills that the reason he moved on from the longtime coach was that Baltimore had blown too many fourth-quarter leads and underperformed in the playoffs. “It’s not something winning organizations do,” said Bisciotti, who was joined on the stage inside the team’s auditorium by general manager Eric DeCosta. “We have underperformed based on our seeding in the playoffs. Very disappointing.” Bisciotti added that he came to the conclusion last week, but that he wasn’t “100% sure” until after the Ravens lost to the Steelers in Week 18 to be eliminated from playoff contention and then relied on his “instincts.” “I woke up Monday and I was pretty sure I was going to do it,” he said. “Timing is never right. You can’t say that timing is perfect in anything, but I got to the point that I didn’t believe that I would feel regret after I made that decision and that’s what instinct is, when you finally get to the point that you’re pretty damn sure that you are not gonna regret the decision a day or a week later then that’s the time to make the decision.” Asked what role quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson played in the move, he said spoke to the quarterback on Monday night and that Jackson told him he did not have a problem with Harbaugh or offensive coordinator Todd Monken. He also added that he felt it was important to seek his input along with that of a “bunch” of veteran players. “I don’t think that the players had really a large part of my decision,” Bisciotti said, adding that it was more 80% general manager Eric DeCosta, executive vice president Ozzie Newsome and president Sashi Brown, compared with 20% of players’ feedback. “I don’t think I’d be a very good leader if I didn’t ask the top players in my organization that have been here the longest … no, Lamar did not have an outsized part of my decision. “My decision by Monday was pretty much set. I think by the time I got off the phone with Lamar I had told him my position was pretty set.” Bisciotti also said that he informed Harbaugh via phone call rather than in person out of logistics. “I never dreamed of firing somebody by phone,” he said. “But the reality is when I made my decision on Tuesday afternoon, I was home and he was in his car heading to his house.” Bisciotti said he felt like it would have been a “jerk” move to call him up and tell him to meet him at the Ravens’ facility in an hour. The two then spoke at length two days later. Bisciotti called Harbaugh on Thursday and left a message before Harbaugh texted him back saying he could talk in about 30 minutes. The discussion, Bisciotti said, wasn’t so much about the details of the decision but they did discuss the larger negative elements surrounding a trying year. “Obviously it was emotional,” he said. “Most of that emotion came from me. … I was the one choked up and he was the one consoling me.” Related Articles Mike Tomlin to the Ravens? ‘Holy s–t. Wouldn’t that be awesome?’ Who should coach the Ravens? Reporters discuss who should replace Harbaugh. Inside what went wrong for the Ravens and why John Harbaugh was fired READER POLL: Who should be the Ravens’ next coach? Ravens have 3 players named to All-Pro teams Still, that decision came suddenly and somewhat surprisingly last Tuesday after Harbaugh had been at the helm for 18 seasons. Harbaugh’s tenure included a Super Bowl title and a dozen playoff appearances, including four trips to the AFC championship game, as he went on to become the winningest coach in the franchise’s 30-year history. It also came just nine months after Bisciotti gave him a three-year extension that would have kept him with the team through 2028. But it followed one of the most disillusioning and disastrous seasons in Ravens history. Baltimore finished 8-9 and out of the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after losing two of its final three games, including to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers on a last-second, game-winning field goal attempt by rookie Tyler Loop that sailed wide right. The defeat was a microcosm of not just this past season but the past few. In the 2023 season, the Ravens reached the AFC championship only to be questioned over play-calling and critical mistakes in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. A year later, Baltimore won the AFC North for a second straight year, erasing a two-game deficit with four games to play, but fell in the divisional round against the Buffalo Bills, committing three turnovers in the gut-wrenching two-point loss. Then came this season. The year opened with the Ravens as the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Then they blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead in Week 1 against the Bills. Baltimore dropped five of its first six games and struggled to keep its season afloat. Then came a blown 11-point fourth quarter lead at home against the New England Patriots in Week 16 and the loss in Pittsburgh two weeks later in what turned out to be Harbaugh’s final act. Bisciotti also said the decision was his alone and now was “100%” the time to make a change. “This was the most difficult decision we made,” he said. “If not now, when? “It was a wonderful, wonderful marriage. The next coach we get I want him to be a Super Bowl winning coach, too. God help him if he can rise up to the level John did.” This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Mike Tomlin is out in Pittsburgh. The longtime Steelers coach is leaving the organization after 19 seasons, it was announced Tuesday. The news broke during the Ravens’ end-of-season news conference focused on their firing of longtime coach John Harbaugh, and The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston shared the AFC North development with owner Steve Bisciotti. “Is it official?” Bisciotti asked. “That’s what I keep hearing,” Preston said. “So, is he a candidate here?” “Holy s–t, Mike,” Bisciotti said. “Wouldn’t that be awesome?” The room erupted in laughter before Bisciotti delivered another quip. “Only if John takes the Pittsburgh job,” Bisciotti said. “Wow, wouldn’t that be interesting.” Tomlin’s specific situation might stop Ravens fans in their tracks before they pull up Photoshop and start making edits of Tomlin in Ravens gear. NFL network reported that Tomlin might take a break from coaching in 2026, and The Athletic reported that TV networks are interested in bringing Tomlin into their respective studios next season. Most importantly, since Tomlin officially stepped down from the organization — he wasn’t fired — the Steelers still hold his rights through the 2027 season. Pittsburgh could trade Tomlin, if he’s interested in coaching elsewhere. The Saints traded Sean Payton and a 2024 third-round draft pick to the Broncos in 2023 for a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round selection. Payton led Denver to the No. 1 seed in the AFC this season. It’s one thing for the Saints to trade a coach to the Broncos, but two AFC North rivals making that move would be more surprising. If interested in taking a new job in the next two seasons, Tomlin would draw major interest across the NFL. He’s a Super Bowl champion, and he never posted a losing record during his 19 years in Pittsburgh. And while Harbaugh is 63 years old and a top candidate for openings this year, Tomlin is a decade younger. “I love Mike,” Bisciotti said. “I’ve admired Mike for 18 years.” Tomlin’s departure exacerbates a changing AFC North. Not only are Tomlin and Harbaugh leaving their franchises, but the Browns also fired Kevin Stefanski after the season. Bengals coach Zac Taylor is the only AFC North coach expected to return to their franchise for the 2026 season. Related Articles Who should coach the Ravens? Reporters discuss who should replace Harbaugh. Inside what went wrong for the Ravens and why John Harbaugh was fired READER POLL: Who should be the Ravens’ next coach? Ravens have 3 players named to All-Pro teams Staff picks for NFL wild-card round: Packers at Bears, Bills at Jaguars and more While Tomlin likely isn’t a serious candidate to take over the Ravens in 2026 because the Steelers hold the rights to his contract, Stefanski could be a real option. He took the Browns to the playoffs twice in five seasons, and Bisciotti said Tuesday that he won’t rule out a previous head coach with a losing record. “I’m telling you, we are keen to their circumstances, and we won’t let their first shot at the job influence us negatively for this one,” Bisciotti said. Regardless of who Baltimore hires, the past 10 days have guaranteed the AFC North will look far different in 2026. Have a news tip? Contact Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article

The last time Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was tasked with hiring a head coach, the TV show “Breaking Bad” was about to premiere, Instagram didn’t exist and Barack Obama was just an Illinois senator. In January 2008, Bisciotti took a chance on a relatively unknown 45-year-old special teams coach named John Harbaugh, who was known more for being Jim’s older brother than he was for his coaching prowess. The now-63-year-old was fired last Tuesday. The NFL looks very different 18 years later. Some teams swing for the fences on the potential next big name. Others prefer a proven track record or a retread hire. Bisciotti will speak with reporters Tuesday and perhaps shed some light on the kind of coach he’s eyeing. As of this writing, the Ravens have completed interviews with six coaching candidates. Ravens reporters Brian Wacker and Sam Cohn discuss what kind of coach makes sense to keep open Baltimore’s championship window: Cohn: Brian, you’ve been covering the Ravens for the past three seasons. You’ve seen historic regular season success and each accompanying postseason collapse. When Bisciotti is deciding on Harbaugh’s successor, what kind of coach should he prioritize? Wacker: First and foremost, you want someone you believe who can get through to and get the most out of Lamar Jackson. That’s certainly not the only trait, but it has to be a significant one. Otherwise, what’s the point? That said, I don’t think that necessarily means finding an offensive guru. To me, the more concerning aspect of this past season was how much of a step back the defense has taken really the past two seasons. Some of that was personnel. Some of it not. This franchise has always been built around a strong defense. It’s part of the fabric and culture that permeates the building. Cohn: Who are a few names that fit that mold? Wacker: Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is the first name that comes to mind. He’s young at 42, brings familiarity as a former defensive assistant in Baltimore from 2017 to 2020, and he’s known to have a charismatic personality that can connect with players. He also knows his stuff, of course, and has a track record of turning struggling to middling defenses around, be it in Los Angeles or at Vanderbilt and Michigan, the latter helping the Wolverines to a national championship in 2022. Brian Flores is another defensive-oriented coach who brings perhaps an even more commanding voice. He grew up in a tough neighborhood in New York, reportedly struggled communicating and collaborating as the Miami Dolphins coach but perhaps learned from the experience as many first-time coaches have and then gone on to be successful. He also helped propel the Steelers’ and Vikings’ defense in his work for those two teams and again perhaps would be able to connect with Jackson the way others have not. Who comes to mind for you? Cohn: Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, to me, checks all the boxes. He has a proven track record calling plays for a top-three offense in the NFL. As the son of former Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, he brings some familiarity with how life works in Owings Mills. And he’s 38 years old, meaning he could bring the type of youthful energy this Ravens team is searching for. Brian, you mentioned Jackson before. Bisciotti needs to find a coach for Jackson as much as he does the Ravens. Kubiak would be a smart choice to keep the coach and quarterback in lockstep. I’ll also throw out Nathan Scheelhaase and Davis Webb. With two decades of stability under a CEO coach, I’d think Bisciotti would lean into a more established, offensive-minded name capable of keeping Baltimore in contention right now. If he’s willing to swing at an off-speed pitch then Scheelhaase, the Rams pass game coordinator, and Webb, Denver’s pass game coordinator and QBs coach, are the two popular youngsters this coaching cycle. Wacker: Harbaugh was an unconventional hire the last time Bisciotti was looking for a coach, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see him do the same here, and Webb is a guy who people around the league are very high on. Scheelhaase is likewise viewed as a “boy wonder” candidate by some and at 35 is five years older than Webb, so he has a little more experience. I’d still want someone perhaps a bit more seasoned, though, and Bisciotti has made it clear he wants to win now. Harbaugh did that, making the playoffs each of his first four seasons then won the Super Bowl in his fifth with a roster that still had some holdovers from before his arrival. I also think the situation begs the question, how much input will or should Jackson have? Cohn: A lot — but there’s a line. The Ravens won’t get over the hump of making it to a Super Bowl unless their two-time Most Valuable Player is happy in a system that works for him. He’s the focal point of this team and the face of the franchise. To say he shouldn’t have sway is like saying LeBron James should keep his paws off front office decisions. It’s asinine. Related Articles Inside what went wrong for the Ravens and why John Harbaugh was fired READER POLL: Who should be the Ravens’ next coach? Ravens have 3 players named to All-Pro teams Staff picks for NFL wild-card round: Packers at Bears, Bills at Jaguars and more Josh Tolentino: Ravens, NFL should be ready to give Brian Flores a chance | COMMENTARY So, two things. The Ravens need an offensive resurgence after a year Todd Monken admitted they never really “fired on all cylinders,” which starts with the quarterback. But giving Jackson too much say could result in a decision more consequential than his urging to sign failed experiment Jaire Alexander. Brian, what’s your read on the power Jackson may wield? Wacker: The difference, of course, is that James has won four rings. During Jackson’s previous contract negotiation, Bisciotti through general manager Eric DeCosta doled out $15 million for Odell Beckham Jr. and this past season another $6 million for DeAndre Hopkins, two players the quarterback flatly said he wanted. They also brought in cornerback and former college teammate Alexander. How’d those moves ultimately pan out with respect to production? This isn’t to say Jackson’s input shouldn’t be taken into consideration. It should be. But a lot? I don’t know. They should hire someone that can get the most out of Jackson — however that manifests — but also keep in mind life beyond him. He will be entering his ninth season in 2026, has plenty of talent and the defense still needs to be fixed. Cohn: OK, here’s a hypothetical: Let’s say you and Bisciotti are switching places for a day. Who are you hiring as head coach and two coordinators? Wacker: This is tough because the reality is there aren’t a lot — if any — coaches out there better than Harbaugh in this cycle. But clearly things had reached their zenith here and the situation had at the very least started to grow stale. I think Minter is a guy who’s ready to be a head coach and could command Jackson’s attention while also doing the things Baltimore needs on defense. Jackson has enough talent around him and enough of an understanding of what works and what doesn’t that the Ravens don’t need an offensive guru as head coach. Someone like Webb or Scheelhaase at offensive coordinator could help reinvigorate the offense, while Minter could tap his current defensive line coach in L.A., Mike Elston, who has a strong reputation for player development, or perhaps Flores, though the latter would seem less likely. Cohn: I like that lineup. As you said, there won’t be a coach “better” than Harbaugh. Rather, Bisciotti is looking to pin down the right replacement to fumigate the playoff ghosts haunting that locker room. Give me Kubiak at the helm. Because I’m leaning offensive-minded coach, I like Scheelhaase as the offensive coordinator. Anthony Weaver, if he’s open to a coordinator position rather than the head coaching gigs he’s already interviewed for, is the kind of defensive strategist-slash-culture-builder this team needs. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Rams offensive assistant Nate Scheelhaase looks on during a 2024 game. The 35-year-old coach has developed into a head coaching candidate in early 2026. (Kyusung Gong/AP) View the full article