John Harbaugh, already the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL, has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens. The team made the announcement on Friday, finalizing an agreement that puts the 62-year-old head coach under contract through 2028.
The new deal was expected this offseason as Harbaugh, the Ravens’ all-time-winningest head coach, was entering the final year of his contract in 2025. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has long said he doesn’t think it’s fair to head coaches or the organization to have them reach “lame-duck” status. The extension prevents that while also fulfilling one of the franchise’s offseason priorities.
Harbaugh, who is preparing for his 18th season at the helm of the Ravens, downplayed his contract status earlier in the offseason, saying, “Those things take care of themselves.” Harbaugh’s agent, Bryan Harlan, and the Ravens have negotiated so many contract extensions for the head coach that the latest one was treated almost like a formality.
Only the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, who has been the head coach of the Ravens’ biggest rival since 2007, has been in one place longer than Harbaugh.
Since Harbaugh replaced Brian Billick in 2008, the Ravens are 172-104 in the regular season and 13-11 in the postseason. Harbaugh’s crowning achievement was the Ravens’ victory in Super Bowl XLVII over his brother Jim’s San Francisco 49ers. However, Bisciotti has frequently praised Harbaugh’s consistency and adaptability in evolving with the ever-changing NFL.
Under Harbaugh, the Ravens have made the playoffs in 12 of 17 seasons, including six of the past seven campaigns. They’ve finished the regular season with a losing record just twice in his tenure. They’ve gotten to four AFC Championship Games and advanced at least to the divisional round 10 times.
If there is a criticism of Harbaugh, it’s that recent Ravens teams haven’t been able to get over the hump in the AFC despite looking like one of the top teams in the regular season. Since winning their second Lombardi Trophy in February 2013, Baltimore is 4-7 in the playoffs and hasn’t gotten back to a Super Bowl.
The 2025 team, however, will likely enter the season as one of the favorites. Most of the key pieces, led by quarterback Lamar Jackson, are returning. Unlike last offseason when he had to find a replacement for defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and many other departing assistants, Harbaugh only had to make a few coaching hires this year.
(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)