Yardbarker
x
Report: Ravens have one top priority with new head coach
Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta. Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Report: Ravens have one top priority with new head coach

By Steve DelVecchio  |  Last updated Jan 7, 2026 12:10 PM ET

The Baltimore Ravens stunned the NFL when they fired John Harbaugh on Tuesday, and it appears they have one particular goal in mind when searching for the longtime head coach's replacement.

Harbaugh has been fired by Baltimore after 18 seasons with the team. His fate was sealed when Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a last-second field goal on Sunday night that would have given his team a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and an AFC North title. Now, the Ravens are focused on finding a new head coach for the first time in nearly two decades.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Baltimore's front office is searching for a coach who can get the most out of Lamar Jackson.

"It did seem like a lot of the focus here was to find someone to reach Lamar, to invigorate Lamar, to find him, right? That's sort of what we're talking about here," Rapoport said Wednesday. "I'm not saying that it was like they chose the quarterback over the coach. It's not like that. It's just which coach can come in and get the absolute most out of the two-time MVP, who just had a weird year and a year where a lot of people in the building were wondering, 'Is Lamar OK? What's wrong with him? How can we get to him?'

"The goal for the new leader of the organization is to find somebody who can get the absolute most out of their superstar-talented quarterback."

Ravens will likely target an offensive-minded coach

If the Ravens are committed to hiring a coach who can maximize Jackson's talents, it would stand to reason that they want someone with an offensive background. With that in mind, there are a couple of potential candidates that stick out.

The first would be Kevin Stefanski, who was fired by the Cleveland Browns this week after six seasons. Stefanski led the Browns to the playoffs in 2020 and 2023 and was named AP NFL Coach of the Year both seasons. Part of the issue for Stefanski in Cleveland was that the team was unable to find the right quarterback. Stefanski would not have that problem if he were hired by the Ravens.

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady is another potential target for Baltimore. Other coaches with offensive backgrounds who are expected to receive head coach consideration this offseason include Los Angeles Rams OC Mike LaFleur and Kliff Kingsbury, who parted ways with the Washington Commanders on Tuesday.

Lamar Jackson needs to bounce back

Jackson is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, and his performance contributed to Harbaugh being pushed out. Jackson, who dealt with a variety of injuries, finished 2025 with 2,549 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He rushed for a career-low 349 yards and had just two scores on the ground, which was tied for the worst mark of his career.

What made Jackson's season even more disappointing is that he threw a career-high 41 touchdown passes last season. It looked like OC Todd Monken had finally unlocked Jackson's full potential as a passer, but 2025 was a struggle from start to finish. The Ravens are hoping a new head coach can help fix that.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.