Baltimore Ravens' owner said his "instincts" led to firing head coach John Harbaugh

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti calls their open head coaching job "the best opening in this cycle."

Now, Bisciotti and his front office are seeking a coach who can take an already talented roster back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2012 season.

The Ravens fired John Harbaugh on Tuesday, Jan. 6, after he completed his 18th season in Baltimore. The Ravens finished the 2025 season with an 8-9 record, which ended with a season-finale loss in Pittsburgh.

It was the first time Baltimore missed the playoffs since 2021.

"We led the league in giving up big leads in the fourth quarter, it's not something that winning organizations do," Bisciotti said, addressing the media alongside General Manager Eric DeCosta. "We have underperformed based on our seeding in the playoffs. It was very disappointing, a lot of our great players making mistakes they don't make in the regular season."

Bisciotti said he stewed over the decision to fire Harbaugh on the Monday after the Sunday night loss in Pittsburgh, which ended with a missed field goal by Tyler Loop.

He said he spoke with some of the veteran Ravens, including two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. But ultimately, Bisciotti said his instincts told him it was time to fire the only coach he had ever hired.

"I wasn't 100% sure until really after the loss, and I fell on my instincts," Bisciotti said. "I woke up on Monday, and I was pretty sure I was going to do it. I got to the point where I didn't think I would feel regret after I made that decision."

There are nine teams without head coaches -- the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, and Miami Dolphins. 

Harbaugh fired over the phone

Bisciotti said he called Harbaugh on the phone to say the Ravens were going in a different direction. The owner said he apologized for the way he informed the coach, who compiled a 193-124 record, a 13-11 postseason mark, and delivered a Super Bowl championship.

"I never dreamed of firing somebody by phone," Bisciotti said. "The reality is that when I made my decision on Tuesday afternoon, i was at home, and he was on his way to his home. I thought it would kind of be a jerk move to call him up and say, 'Hey coach, meet me at the office in an hour.' When i did tell him the decision that I made, I told him i was really sorry about doing this over the phone. He said you don't owe me an apology for that."

Bisciotti said he become more emotional during the phone call, but Harbaugh said he was grateful for the opportunity.

"He said, 'You don't owe me anything," Bisciotti said. "He said you kept me here 18 years. You picked a special teams guy, who does that? You altered mine and (his wife) Ingrid's life forever because you took a chance on me. I am happy and content, and disappointed, but I love you and I respect your decision.'"

Feedback from the players

Bisciotti said that when he made the final decision to fire Harbaugh, the veteran players only played a small role. Jackson said the Ravens needed a change, but it was up to the owner to make those changes.

Bisciotti also said Jackson told him that he never had an issues with Harbaugh or offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

"I don't think I would be a good leader if I didn't ask my players who had been here the longest," Bisciotti said. "Lamar didn't have an out-sized part of my decision. My decision on Monday was pretty set."

What's next for Ravens and Harbaugh?

Harbaugh reportedly already interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons, and is expected to interview with more suitors in the coming days.

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said Harbaugh's agent received at least seven phone calls from interested teams within minutes of his firing.

Meanwhile, Baltimore has conducted interviews Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, Klint Kubiak, Kevin Stefanski and Matt Nagy.

General Manager Eric DeCosta said there are still about eight or nine candidates left to be interviewed, and they will narrow the search to four or five candidates.

Bisciotti said DeCosta, team president Sashi Brown, and former GM Ozzie Newsome will take the lead in the hiring process.

"It was a very disappointing season but I see a great opportunity moving forward," DeCosta said. "We are very excited about this process ahead of us in building this team to be the very best it can be. We plan on getting back to the standard that we've set."

Bisciotti said he plans to give the new coach a little bit of time to bring Baltimore a championship.

"It took (Brian) Billick two years, John five, maybe I will give this guy six," Bisciotti said. "I hope we pick the kind of guy that's going to get us there. i think we have a roster that is capable and we have a GM capable of making the roster better on the fly."