Ravens players react to shocking firing of John Harbaugh

The most stunning NFL-related event of the year's first week has been the Baltimore Ravens' firing of longtime head coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday. 

For a piece published late Tuesday night, Giana Han of The Baltimore Banner spoke with multiple Ravens players on the condition of anonymity about the decision some members of the locker room referred to as "shocking" and "surprising." 

Ravens' firing of John Harbaugh was "unexpected"

One Ravens player said that the club firing Harbaugh "was unexpected because of how long he’d been there." Harbaugh had been in the role since January 2008.

"I don’t think most thought it would happen, but with what went down, you expect something to give," that player continued. "Just not that." 

Under Harbaugh, the 2025 Ravens started the season with five losses in six games. Baltimore's campaign then ended via a brutal Week 18 defeat at the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Following Tuesday's developments, one report claimed that Harbaugh lost quarterback Lamar Jackson and other Baltimore players. Dianna Russini of The Athletic shared that Harbaugh's "refusal to entertain any conversations about potentially moving on from offensive coordinator Todd Monken" was "a key pressure point" that led to the coach's dismissal.

"Players felt the Ravens worked on a specific game plan during the week only to abandon it mid-game, creating chaos and confusion," Han wrote. "They also viewed Monken as increasingly standoffish and unwilling to collaborate with players. Team sources expressed frustration over Monken’s decisions throughout the season."

John Harbaugh seemingly didn't lose every Ravens player

One player who spoke with Han called Harbaugh a "players-first" coach. Others said they viewed Harbaugh as "untouchable" before Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti announced on Tuesday that he had fired the 63-year-old "following a comprehensive evaluation of the season and the overall direction of our organization." 

"If there’s anyone that’s a Raven through and through," one Baltimore player added about Harbaugh, "it was him." 

Fair or not, the perception exists that Jackson emerged as the winner of a power struggle. He accumulated a postseason record as a starter of 3-5 under Harbaugh, but Jackson now will have an opportunity to prove that he can win at least a conference championship game while working with a different coaching staff.