The Baltimore Ravens have officially announced the hiring of Jesse Minter as the team’s new head coach for the 2026 NFL season.
“I am truly honored to serve as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens,” Minter stated. “This is an organization whose values, culture and tradition of excellence reflect everything I believe about the game of football and how it should be played.”
In addition to Baltimore, Minter had interviews with the Raiders and was scheduled to meet with the Browns prior to the Ravens finalizing the deal. The former defensive coordinator for the Chargers now becomes just the 4th head coach in the franchise’s 31 year history, and the first in nearly two decades following John Harbaugh’s 18 year run.
“Jesse was impressive throughout our incredibly thorough interview process,” Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti stated. “He clearly understands the values, high expectations and history of the Ravens, and he has a great vision for the future. Jesse’s football acumen is outstanding, and that’s been proven by the impact he’s made throughout his entire coaching career.”
The 42 year old has worked with both John and Jim Harbaugh in the past, having previously served as a defensive assistant, and eventually a defensive backs coach with Baltimore between 2017-2020. In 2022 he joined Jim’s staff at Michigan where he won a national championship with the Wolverines a year later.
He’s also worked closely with former Ravens assistant turned Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, and helped to shape the Ravens defensive identity in recent years. In LA, the Chargers saw noticeable improvement with Minter calling plays on the defensive side of the ball.
The team registered the 11th most sacks in the league, and 7th most takeaways. They also saw their defence go from 24th in points to 1st, and 28th in yards to 11th yards to rank as the number 5 total defence league wide.
“Jesse is a strong leader who possesses a brilliant football mind and a spirit that will resonate with our players and fanbase alike,” General Manager Eric DeCosta stated. “Jesse comes from a football family, with success at every level of the sport, and we are confident that he is the right coach to lead the Ravens forward.”
Baltimore fans can expect a versatile defensive approach, with lots of disguises to keep opponents on their toes. The Ravens took another step backwards defensively in 2025, ranking as the 4th worst unit in terms of passing yards against, and gave up the 10th most rushing touchdowns on the year. That, coupled with injuries, led to the team missing the postseason for the first time since 2021.
The Ravens have scheduled an introductory press conference for Minter on January 29th at the Under Armour Performance Center.
Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.