RAVENS ADD STABILITY BY BRINGING BACK HARBAUGH
Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti spoke to a small group of reporters for the first time in 4 years on Tuesday this week. The 61-year-old talked about a few matters including Deshaun Watson’s contract with the Browns and how it complicates the QB market and also revealed that the Ravens have signed head coach, John Harbaugh to a three-year contract extension. Bisciotti was speaking at the NFL League Meetings in Palm Beach, Florida.
Harbaugh was set to enter the final year of his contract during the 2022 season but the new deal will keep him in Baltimore through 2025. Harbaugh is one of the most respected head coaches in the NFL and has been with the Ravens since Bisciotti hired him in 2008. His 14 seasons in Baltimore makes him the third-longest tenured coach in the NFL after Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Harbaugh has seen plenty of success in Baltimore including winning Super Bowl XLVII in 2012 and guiding the Ravens to the playoffs in 9 of his 14 seasons. The contract extension is a vote of confidence from Bisciotti as Harbaugh comes off of a tough year in which the Ravens finished last in the AFC North at 8-9.
2021 was Harbaugh’s second losing season as head coach after the Ravens finished 5-11 in 2015. The Ravens were ravaged by injuries but still went 8-3 last year before injuries to more key players including starting quarterback Lamar Jackson saw them go on a 6-game losing streak. The Ravens, however, were still in the hunt for the playoffs up until the last game.
Harbaugh is an incredible head coach who has massively impacted the culture within the franchise. The 59 year old is always looking to improve, and hasn’t been afraid to make bold changes, including overhauling the Ravens’ offensive scheme or drafting 2019 MVP, Lamar Jackson.
Owner Steve Bisciotti reiterated this quality, saying, “I think John has grown and grown and grown. I don’t feel like I’m just signing up the same guy. I think that’s really a compliment to him. I really feel like there’s been a rebirth to John as the years go on. Things that mattered to him don’t matter as much anymore.”
John Harbaugh has recorded 11 playoff wins in his 14-years with the Ravens. A record that is second only to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who has 16 postseason victories during that time. The Ravens have been one of the most stable franchises in the NFL of late, and their belief in head coach consistency has been key to their success and stability. The Ravens have only had three head coaches in their 26-year history: Ted Marchibroda, Brian Billick, and Harbaugh. This is Harbaugh’s sixth contract extension with Baltimore.
With Harbaugh’s deal complete, attention in Baltimore will now shift to Lamar Jackson’s impending contract extension. The 25-year-old is entering his fifth-year option that will see him earn up to $23million, and the Ravens will be forced to use the franchise tag on him next offseason if the two sides can’t agree on a new deal.
Harbaugh won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award in 2019.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero