Did Baltimore Fire John Harbaugh Due to Lack of Success with Lamar Jackson?

• John Harbaugh was fired by the Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons.
• Harbaugh won the Super Bowl in 2012, and went to the playoffs 12 times.
• However, there wasn’t enough success, especially with Lamar Jackson as Harbaugh’s quarterback.

The Baltimore Ravens dismissed head coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday, shocking the NFL world. Harbaugh had been in Baltimore for 18 years, winning a Super Bowl in 2012.

However, the Ravens haven’t been able to get over the hump with Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson at quarterback, and that was Harbaugh’s downfall.

Harbaugh’s Baltimore Era Was Successful, But It Wasn’t Enough

Harbaugh was let go by the Ravens on Tuesday, but he was hired by the Ravens on January 19, 2008. He went 11-5 in his first season, but lost to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game. Harbaugh was 180-113 in 18 seasons with the Ravens, and he won the Super Bowl in 2012, his fifth season with the Ravens. John defeated his brother, Jim, who coached the San Francisco 49ers, by a score of 34-31.

Harbaugh was 13-11 in the playoffs, and his eight playoff road wins are the most for an NFL head coach. He went to the playoffs 12 times in 18 seasons, and had 11 seasons of 10 wins or more. He is now, easily, the biggest name in the NFL head coaching carousel. Even teams that already have a head coach have reached out to Harbaugh less than 24 hours after he parted ways with the Ravens.

If you dig into the numbers, you might wonder why the Ravens chose to let Harbaugh go. It could be simply a matter of needing a change. In the modern game, coaches rarely get the chance to stay with a team for 5-10 years, much less 18 years. He was the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL, just one year behind Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin’s 19 seasons. The John Harbaugh next team odds feature many contenders, with the New York Giants favored to land him.

But there may be another reason why Harbaugh was fired, and it has to do with his quarterback.

Ultimately, Harbaugh Didn’t Do Enough with Lamar Jackson

The Ravens drafted quarterback Lamar Jackson out of Louisville in 2018. Jackson has gone on to win a pair of NFL MVPs in 2019 and 2023. There are also some that think he should have won over Buffalo’s Josh Allen in 2024.

But Harbaugh’s inability to win a Super Bowl with Jackson might have been his downfall, and it’s difficult to figure out whose fault it is. You could definitely make the argument that Jackson’s best receiver during his time in Baltimore has been tight end Mark Andrews. He’s never had a true #1 receiver, and that’s on the front office.

The Ravens did get running back Derrick Henry before last season to take pressure off Jackson, who was usually Baltimore’s best rusher. Jackson has had two 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and his 6,522 rushing yards are the most for a quarterback in NFL history. But this season, Jackson was slowed by injuries, and he should look to pass more going forward.

Someone had to take the fall for this, and ultimately, it was Harbaugh, who won’t be out of a job for long. Harbaugh, Jackson, and the Ravens were a successful combination. But the NFL world is wondering if more could have been done to bring another Super Bowl to Baltimore.