ExtremeRavens Posted 17 hours ago Posted 17 hours ago The Ravens interviewed 20 head coaching candidates this offseason. No other NFL team came close. The size of Baltimore’s search reflected owner Steve Bisciotti’s dynamic hiring approach: gather pertinent information first, then make one of the most important decisions in recent franchise history. The Ravens still possessed apparent urgency throughout, but they also understood the stakes. With a two-time NFL MVP quarterback still in his prime and a roster built to contend immediately, the Ravens treated the interview process as something to be studied and obsessed over. After all, Baltimore was widely viewed as the league’s top opening. General manager Eric DeCosta described the team’s process as his own two-week draft. Of the record-tying 10 teams with coaching openings, Baltimore conducted the league’s most expansive search, ultimately narrowing its focus to three finalists: Jesse Minter, new Bills coach Joe Brady and new Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. It opened the team’s brass to nearly two dozen respected football minds, each offering an external evaluation of the Ravens’ roster, schemes and blind spots that surfaced too often throughout a disappointing 2025 campaign. For a franchise coming off a season in which the defense strayed from its longtime standard, allowing too many chunk plays and struggling to close games, those conversations possess tremendous value moving forward. “[We had] the chance to talk to a lot of people and gather as much information as you can,” DeCosta said. “There is a great value to an organization to go through that process this way. It was time consuming. It [required work] from a lot of people. A lot of people that were very, very involved. We learned a lot, and we had a chance to canvas a wide net and talk to the very, very best people in the NFL.” Other NFL general managers might’ve preferred to concentrate solely on a new leader during an introductory news conference, but DeCosta acknowledged the value in the Ravens’ broader hiring practices. Before Buffalo tabbed Brady to replace Sean McDermott, the Ravens hosted the former offensive coordinator in Owings Mills. That gave Baltimore’s decision-makers a rare opportunity to receive a direct assessment from the opposing sideline on one of the most jarring games of the season. In Week 1, the Ravens witnessed a commanding fourth-quarter lead evaporate as Josh Allen and the Bills stormed back in an improbable comeback that left Baltimore stunned. Brady had coached against Baltimore’s defense through that epic collapse. His perspective was undoubtedly valuable. Other offensive coaches the Ravens interviewed included Mike McDaniel, Klint Kubiak, Kliff Kingsbury, Matt Nagy, Davis Webb and Nate Scheelhaase. Alongside Minter, the Ravens interviewed a deep bench of defensive gurus including Brian Flores, Vance Joseph, Jim Schwartz, Robert Saleh, Chris Shula, Anthony Campanile and Weaver. That depth helps explain how the Ravens were able to move quickly to secure Weaver as Minter’s next defensive coordinator on Monday afternoon. Weaver interviewed for five openings and emerged as a finalist with the Ravens, Steelers and Cardinals. By the end of the process, five of the 20 candidates Baltimore interviewed (Minter, Saleh, Kubiak, Brady and Kevin Stefanski) were hired or are expected to be hired across this cycle’s vacancies. Another three assistants were either promoted or received contract extensions. Baltimore’s dedicated approach followed the departure of John Harbaugh, the winningest coach in franchise history. Harbaugh delivered sustained success and stability over 18 seasons, but it became clear to owner Steve Bisciotti that change was necessary after two consecutive years of postseason regression, culminating in a 2025 season in which Baltimore missed the playoffs entirely despite a wide-open AFC field that did not include Patrick Mahomes. Across the AFC North, the Browns interviewed 10 candidates before settling on former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, while the Steelers interviewed nine before hiring Mike McCarthy. Both are fine hires. But Baltimore interviewed double the number of candidates and as a direct result, walked away with twice the amount of firsthand insight. Last offseason provided an even deeper reminder of how differently organizations approach these critical moments. The Cowboys interviewed just three external candidates after parting ways with McCarthy, then handed the job to Brian Schottenheimer. The Ravens spoke with nearly seven times that many coaches before making its decision. Quantity doesn’t always rule, but Bisciotti has great instincts and is the founder of Aerotek, the largest privately owned staffing and recruiting firm in the U.S. Bisciotti was not made publicly available during Minter’s introductory news conference last Thursday, instead sitting in the front row as the pomp and circumstance unfolded. But afterward, as former Baltimore Sun and ESPN reporter Jamison Hensley began a live standup outside the team’s headquarters, the Ravens’ owner briefly interjected, offering an unscripted glimpse into his thinking. When asked why he hired Minter, Bisciotti replied: “I didn’t. Eric did. I approved it. I can tell those two are going to work really well together. [Minter] stood out. We got some good candidates out there, but he stood out. So we’re really happy with him.” Said team president Sashi Brown: “We’re at an important time for our locker room. We know we have the talent to go out and pursue championships now. When we set out to find our new coach, we wanted to make sure that we were very serious about bringing a great leader, but also a great person to this organization, to our locker room, and we found that in Jesse Minter.” Now, Minter becomes the franchise’s fourth coach, empowered to establish his own leadership style while benefiting from the intel Baltimore gathered throughout the search. Of course, none of this guarantees success. But if Minter works as well as many inside the organization believe he’s capable of, the Ravens will have given themselves a familiar advantage inside the AFC North. While other franchises moved quickly or slowly with less direction to resolve their openings, Baltimore separated itself and invested in understanding the full landscape first. That’s easy to take for granted. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. Josh appears as a host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast. View the full article Quote
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