Although Harbaugh signed a contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens in 2025 and led the team to 12 playoff appearances and 1 Super Bowl championship during his 18-year tenure, this year’s 8-9 record has caused the team to miss the playoffs for the second time in the past eight seasons. John Harbaugh is about to resign as the team’s head coach.
According to reports, a big reason why Harbaugh will be looking for a new job despite his successful record in Baltimore is that something has changed this season and the locker room is starting to lose faith in their head coach. Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Network on Tuesday that the coach found his control of the locker room wavering as his tenure came to a shocking halt.
advertise
“Harbaugh lost the locker room. Finally, players had doubts about whether they wanted to play for him,” Rapoport said.
Star quarterback Lamar Jackson has reportedly lost faith in his coach’s abilities, and trust in Harbaugh’s leadership has waned. Of course, a player’s opinion of a head coach doesn’t necessarily lead to his firing, but as their relationship soured, so did the team’s trust in Harbaugh.
“This wasn’t just a Lamar Jackson issue, it started with a disagreement between Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson, and it continued in the locker room,” Rapoport said.
advertise
Harbaugh’s firing leaves seven head coaching vacancies in the NFL this offseason (including Baltimore’s), and seven teams have reportedly contacted Harbaugh’s agent to express interest in his services — meaning there could be more moves on the way, or some teams interested in him taking a non-head coaching role.
This article originally appeared in Touchdown: Ravens head coach John Harbaugh reportedly ‘lost in locker room’