Ravens coach John Harbaugh is expected to sign a contract extension in the coming weeks, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Harbaugh is entering the last year of a four-year deal he signed in January 2019, and it’s long been owner Steve Bisciotti’s preference to avoid such “lame duck” scenarios at head coach.
The Ravens are coming off their first season without a playoff berth since 2017, but the 59-year-old Harbaugh has made a postseason appearance in nine of his 14 seasons in Baltimore. He’s 137-88 overall in the regular season and 11-8 in the postseason, including a triumph in Super Bowl XLVII.
Almost two years after becoming the franchise’s first coach to win Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year honors, Harbaugh was widely praised for his leadership this season, helping guide an injury-depleted Ravens team to the top of the AFC in early December. Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s season-ending ankle injury in Week 14, however, doomed the Ravens to a disappointing final stretch. The team lost its last six games, the longest such streak under Harbaugh, who at 8-9 finished with just his second-ever losing season.
This offseason could shape Harbaugh’s next chapter in Baltimore. The Ravens parted ways with defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale last week, and their defense could be overhauled in free agency. Jackson, who’s signed through the 2022 season, is also in line for a potential megadeal. The 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player has emerged as one of the NFL’s biggest stars, though he’s struggled at times over the past two seasons and in the playoffs, where he’s 1-3.
Harbaugh’s leadership and coaching style have evolved since his arrival in 2008; free-agent signings often cite the inclusive locker room culture the Ravens have fostered, and analysts laud his embrace of analytics in in-game decision-making. With Sean Payton stepping down as head coach of the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, Harbaugh is now the NFL’s third-longest-tenured coach, behind only the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin.
Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston contributed to this story.
