Ravens coaching options: Kevin Stefanski, Brian Flores among top options to succeed John Harbaugh

The Ravens will have a new coach for the first time in nearly two decades

One of the NFL's most stable franchises is making a major change. John Harbaugh is out as Baltimore Ravens coach, ending an 18-year tenure in the Charm City that included 180 wins (fourth-most in the NFL in that time), a Super Bowl championship and 12 playoff berths.

The Ravens were the NFL's most disappointing team in 2025, going from preseason Super Bowl favorites to missing the playoffs. Injuries to Lamar Jackson and a plethora of the team's other top standouts were costly, but Baltimore also regressed in several other areas. The offensive line took a step back, Derrick Henry wasn't the overwhelmingly dominant force he was a year earlier, the defense had one of the NFL's worst pass rushes, and the secondary gave up too many big plays.

Plus, even when Jackson did play, he wasn't ever the full, MVP-winning version of himself after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 4 and missing a month. He also missed one game with a back injury and dealt with knee, ankle and toe issues all year.

What's next for the Ravens? Big questions for Lamar Jackson, John Harbaugh after disappointing 2025 season

Zachary Pereles

Still, this immediately becomes the most enviable opening in the NFL. Jackson was fantastic for stretches, and he nearly carried Baltimore to a Week 18 win-or-go-home victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harbaugh's firing comes one day before Jackson's 29th birthday, and though Jackson has missed significant time in three of the last five seasons, he remains an electric talent.

He's also an electric talent in need of a new contract -- a process that hasn't always been the easiest to navigate -- and Baltimore has several other needs to address this offseason.

Make no mistake, though: This is still a team that is expecting to win and win now. Baltimore has a solid core around Jackson in place for the future, highlighted by Henry, Zay Flowers, Ronnie Stanley, Nnamdi Madubuike and Kyle Hamilton. The Ravens will be looking for a coach who can not only maximize Jackson but finally get both him and the team as a whole over the playoff hump.

1. Kevin Stefanski (Former Cleveland Browns head coach)

The Ravens have seen Stefanski's squads up close and personnel for the last six years, and though Baltimore has been the more talented team for almost that entire span, Stefanski's Browns earned a split every year from 2021-24.

Stefanski has gotten teams over the hump. The Browns hadn't made the postseason since 2002 before he arrived, and he took them to the postseason twice. He's done it with a variety of quarterbacks. He made several impactful hires on the defensive side of the ball, and he's a two-time AP Coach of the Year.

Still just 43 years old, Stefanski will be highly sought-after across the league and has already been requested to interview for several teams' coaching vacancies.

NFL coach, GM interview tracker, updates: Vance Joseph drawing plenty of interest

Tyler Sullivan

While it may be easy to dismiss Stefanski due to his overall record (45-56), he did a very good job in trying circumstances, especially given the team's disastrous Deshaun Watson trade and extension. He crafted top-tier rushing offenses in his early days in Cleveland and his final season as Minnesota offensive coordinator, and he helped make a viable passing environment for a team that churned through quarterbacks like no other. In 2023, the Browns finished 10th in scoring despite starting Watson, Joe Flacco, P.J. Walker, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jeff Driskel.

Jackson would be a luxury Stefanski has never had. The Ravens must address the interior of their offensive line -- notably re-signing Tyler Linderbaum -- but Stefanski would be in tremendous position to take advantage on Henry on the back end of his prime. For a win-now team, Stefanski would be a strong fit, and for Stefanski, a win-now team with few distractions and stable ownership/front-office personnel would be a dream-like change of scenery.

2. Brian Flores (Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator)

Jackson's injuries and ensuing level of play were the face of the Ravens' disappointment, but the defense's nosedive was no less to blame. Only the Cincinnati Bengals allowed more plays of 20-plus yards this season, and only two teams had fewer sacks.

The answer, potentially? A coordinator whose defenses have long caused as much havoc as any. Flores, 44, led yet another strong Minnesota defense in 2025; the Vikings finished third in total defense and seventh in scoring defense. In six seasons as either coach or defensive coordinator, Flores has fielded five top-half scoring defenses, three in the top 10.

Flores is aggressive -- Minnesota's 47.1% blitz rate over the past three years is first by a wide margin -- and creative. He has made the most of nearly every unit he has had. Last year, Andrew Van Ginkel made his first Pro Bowl and was seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Jonathan Greenard made his first Pro Bowl and was 11th. This year, 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner broke out with eight sacks, and 2024 undrafted free agent Jalen Redmond had six. He can patch together and elevate linebackers and secondaries, too.

Flores has gotten the most out of stars, accomplished (if aging) veterans and youngsters alike. The Ravens have several in all three categories.

Finally, though Flores' run as Miami Dolphins coach is most remembered for an unceremonious end and, later, him suing the NFL, he recorded winning seasons in two of his three years there. Many, including Aaron Rodgers, have called for Flores to get another chance.

Flores, it should be noted, is a free agent, so he'll have some significant negotiating power.

3. Jesse Minter (Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator)

There are plenty of connections here: Minter, 42, had a spell with the Ravens from 2017-20, rising from defensive assistant to assistant defensive backs coach to defensive backs coach. He then left to join John Harbaugh's brother Jim at Michigan and, eventually, at Los Angeles. Furthermore, the Ravens made a midseason swap of Odafe Oweh for Alohi Gilman in a mutually beneficial deal.

More important than the connections, though, there's a fit: Minter is the mind behind a Los Angeles defense that is among the game's best. The Chargers are fifth in yards per game allowed, second in interception rate and first in goal-to-go defense. Those marks come despite the Chargers fielding the league's second-cheapest defense and a lengthy Khalil Mack absence. Minter's secondary is disciplined and aggressive, and much of the production has come from younger players around stalwart Derwin James. Minter would have a talent upgrade in Baltimore and still have a star safety in Hamilton.

4. Klint Kubiak (Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator)

The mind behind a top-10 Seahawks offense, Kubiak is another hot commodity. The Ravens are quite familiar with the Kubiak family. Klint's father, Gary, was the Ravens' offensive coordinator in 2014, only leaving to pursue his dream job as Denver Broncos coach (and leading them to a Super Bowl).

Klint, 38, has experience with some of the NFL's best minds, including his own father, Stefanski, Kevin O'Connell and Kyle Shanahan. He has brought a sturdy, play action-heavy attack to Seattle, one that has allowed Sam Darnold to thrive and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to become a star. Kubiak could also aim to bring some of the defensive coaches from Seattle along considering just how good the Seahawks have been on that side of the ball.

Furthermore, there's a connection between the two franchises: The Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald away from Baltimore two years ago. Perhaps Baltimore will return the "favor."

5. Vance Joseph (Broncos defensive coordinator)

Joseph, 53, lasted just two seasons in his 2017-18 coach in Denver (11-21 record), but it's impossible to ignore what he has done in his most recent run as the team's defensive coordinator since 2023. The last two seasons, the Broncos are first in sacks, sack rate and pressure rate. Their 131 sacks are 33 more than any other team. He has developed young talent along the defensive line (Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Zach Allen) and in the secondary (Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja'Quan McMillian). A former NFL defensive back himself, Joseph has strong bonafides.

It would be crucial for Joseph to prove he can get his offensive hire right and can do a better job with game management than he did as the Broncos' coach. Still, he'll be busy on the interviewing circuit.