Head coach John Harbaugh seems lost in the shuffle of discussions around Lamar Jackson’s potential departure from the Baltimore Ravens — his obvious diplomatic/awkward stance on Jackson’s trade request aside.
The focus, mainly, has often been on Jackson’s self-representation in negotiations. There’s also the Ravens’ hard-line stance about not giving him a fully guaranteed contract and setting a “worrying” precedent for others. Some of the chatter on social media has even professed Jackson needs the Ravens more than the Ravens need him.
And that’s not just true. Because it ignores that for Harbaugh to remain secure in his post, the coach needs Jackson on his team. In fact, Harbaugh needs Jackson a whole heck of a lot more than anyone needs each other in this dramatic (passive-aggressive?) standoff.
Now at the helm of the Ravens for 15 years, Harbaugh is arguably the best coach in franchise history. He’s one of two people who have actually brought a Super Bowl trophy to the Baltimore Harbor. And in Harbaugh’s decade and a half as Ravens coach, he’s never had a quarterback like Jackson.
Full stop.
Joe Flacco and Pro Bowl alternate-alternate-alternate Tyler Huntley eat your respective hearts out.
By working with Jackson, Harbaugh has perhaps the most desired job benefit for an NFL head coach: a superstar quarterback. In fact, I think if head coaches had a choice of “unlimited PTO” or “difference-making signal-caller” in their personal contract talks, most of these football workaholics would pick the latter.
Why? Because a star quarterback makes your job easier. In many ways, they do your job for you on game days.
A star quarterback covers up the warts of your roster. A star quarterback elevates your team on an otherwise flat afternoon. They are a larger-than-life personality that naturally becomes the true face of your franchise, letting you freely do your job as a coach. They are a living, breathing football cheat code.
There are two paths to becoming entrenched with an organization as a coach.
The first is winning a Super Bowl, which earns you a grace period for a seemingly indefinite period. Harbaugh already has this notch in his belt. It’s partly why no one has batted an eyelash at the Ravens winning just two playoff games in almost a decade. Harbaugh has the implicit “trust,” for now, that matters will improve for the purple and black, and soon.
The second is a gifted signal-caller who carries your team year after year to the playoffs, acting like the best concealer for all of your franchise’s flaws. We see it every single season. For example, I won’t deny the prowess of a genius like Andy Reid, but let’s be frank: His Chiefs coaching job is a lot easier knowing Patrick Mahomes is his quarterback.
Have a quarterback like Mahomes — or Jackson — and you can effectively be on autopilot.
If the Ravens lose Jackson for any reason (trade or holdout), Harbaugh, in turn, would yield the ultimate coaching trump card. Suddenly then, he would have to hope and pray Baltimore finds another gifted quarterback as Jackson moves on. Or he’d have to do a much better coaching job compensating for someone more limited.
In case it wasn’t clear, the former setup is much more sustainable.
And while I won’t suggest Harbaugh is on the hot seat, there’s a reason the NFL sometimes carries a nickname of “Not. For. Long.” The more the Ravens continue to fall short in January, the more the discussion in Baltimore inevitably centers around what Harbaugh has failed to do lately. That 2012 Super Bowl he can rest his laurels on fades more into obscurity every single fruitless winter. For now, Harbaugh might be the Ravens’ Golden Boy.
But such a status doesn’t last forever.
Jackson wants a lucrative contract from the Ravens that few NFL teams have ever offered. But he doesn’t need it, per se. The man is already a multimillionaire who can literally afford to operate in this staring contest with patience. No one’s stopping Jackson from digging his feet into the sand with comfort.
Harbaugh does not have the same luxury. Harbaugh needs Jackson slinging deep bombs and running QB Power as soon as possible. Because of everyone in the Ravens’ organization, he’s the one being most evaluated for his on-field results.
Jackson props Harbaugh up. It’s not the other way around.
