ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 11:30 AM Posted yesterday at 11:30 AM Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti will have a news conference Tuesday at 2 p.m. from inside the nearly $100 million house he built at 1 Winning Drive in Owings Mills. It will be his first time speaking with local reporters in nearly four full years. That’s what happens when you fire an 18-year head coach who has the most victories in franchise history, won a Super Bowl and reached the playoffs a dozen times, including four AFC championship game appearances. But, Bisciotti will also be joined by general manager Eric DeCosta, who in recent years has typically sat alongside John Harbaugh in the team’s season-ending sessions. This, of course, is an atypical situation, though. DeCosta hasn’t met with reporters since before the season began, so while there will be plenty of questions directed at him, there will likely be far more for the 65-year-old owner. The last time Bisciotti did talk was during the 2022 NFL owners meetings, when the Ravens were involved in contract negotiations with quarterback Lamar Jackson. It was also in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract from the Cleveland Browns after getting traded by the Houston Texans — a deal that was $80 million more than the previous league record for fully guaranteed money at signing. “I’m trying to answer that when I had a reaction to it. And it’s like, ‘Damn, I wish they hadn’t guaranteed the whole contract,’ ” Bisciotti told reporters then. “I don’t know that he should’ve been the first guy to get a fully guaranteed contract. To me, that’s something that is groundbreaking, and it’ll make negotiations harder with others. “But it doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to play that game, you know? We shall see. If I was in bogged-down negotiations with Lamar, then maybe I would have a quicker reaction to that news.” Now, the Ravens are in a similar position again. Jackson and the Ravens have begun contract talks about another extension. There are two years left on his current $260 million contract, which includes no more guaranteed money as well as a prohibitive $74.5 million salary-cap hit each of the next two seasons, and the clock is ticking. But Bisciotti is also looking for a new coach, one who can get through to and connect with Jackson in a way that it seems the previous regime no longer could. Here are the five biggest questions Bisciotti and DeCosta are facing. Why now? Amid Bisciotti’s eight-paragraph, 265-word statement announcing Harbaugh’s firing, there was plenty of praise but no explanation on why a change was needed. The Ravens had regressed each of the two past postseasons, there’s no denying that. The reasons are myriad, but the way in which Baltimore’s seasons came to an end has been startlingly familiar. As one source said before the news broke about Harbaugh’s firing, though, the Ravens were in need of just a “reset,” not an “overhaul.” The belief was that with one of the most talent-rich rosters in the NFL, they were closer to success than not, despite the issues that plagued them this year. Now, the overhaul has arrived. How much influence did Lamar Jackson have in John Harbaugh’s firing? In the NBA, superstars wield significant power and there are endless examples of players getting coaches ousted. That happens far less frequently in the NFL, in which 53 players make up a roster and one player has less sway on an outcome. The exception, of course, is the quarterback, which is the most important position in American sports. Did Jackson not want Harbaugh back? Surely no one would come out and say that in almost any endeavor. But Bisciotti is also paying Jackson to be the face of the franchise, and if an extension is worked out he figures to be the highest-paid quarterback again, so changing coaches isn’t something the Ravens are doing without any input from their biggest star and most important player. Who will be the coach and what kind of coach do the Ravens want? Harbaugh is an establishment coach. He operated more like a CEO. He’s also 63 years old, well past the average age of today’s NFL coaches. Will the Ravens hire someone inexperienced but on the rise — as they did with Harbaugh nearly two decades ago when they tapped him from relative obscurity as the Philadelphia Eagles special teams coordinator and then defensive backs coach — or will they go with a more established figure who has head coach experience? This coaching cycle doesn’t have the obvious young, hot-shot coordinator the way it did with now Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson or Seattle Seahawks coach and ex-Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. Or perhaps that person is out there just in Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula or Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson scrambles during a Week 18 loss to the Steelers. It's unclear how much influence Jackson will have on Baltimore's coaching search, but the organization will need to find a new coach who works well with the superstar. (Matt Durisko/AP) How much say will Jackson have? See above. If the Ravens are hitching their immediate future to Jackson — and there’s no evidence to suggest otherwise, at least at the moment — then finding a coach who can both get through to and be on the same page with the 29-year-old quarterback is paramount. Otherwise, what was the point in making a change? Baltimore has also shown a willingness to cater to Jackson, signing wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins — two players Jackson asked for — in consecutive years. They also brought in cornerback and former college teammate Jaire Alexander. Beckham had 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns in 2024. Hopkins had 22 receptions for 330 yards and two scores this season. Alexander appeared in two games and was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in November before deciding to step away from football. How will the culture and structure change, if at all, going forward? Over the past 18 seasons, Harbaugh and the Ravens built a culture that was the envy of almost every organization around the league. That was obvious not just in the praise he, DeCosta and others received during that span but in the reaction around the league in the wake of Harbaugh getting fired. Many were surprised, including former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who flat out questioned the decision and said “good luck” finding a better coach in a post on X. Former Ravens coach John Harbaugh, shown with guard Daniel Faalele, is credited with helping build Baltimore's strong culture. (David Richard/AP) But with Harbaugh out, what will it mean for not just that culture but the organizational structure? Though DeCosta is the general manager, Harbaugh certainly had significant input on personnel decisions, both in the draft and with the roster as a whole. What will that look like with a new coach? Stay tuned, but it’s hard to imagine a young coach having much pull if Baltimore goes that direction, meaning that all the personnel decisions — good and bad — would be on DeCosta. These are also just some of the dozens of questions that Bisciotti and DeCosta will face Tuesday. Others will most certainly include those about Jackson’s contract status and if he’ll remain in Baltimore, what the Ravens need to do to finally get back to the Super Bowl and how much longer Bisciotti wants to own the team. What answers there will be remains to be seen. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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