When news broke Tuesday that John Harbaugh had been fired as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens after 18 largely successful seasons with the club, it sent a tidal wave through the NFL, upending current coaching careers.
Harbaugh, in the eyes of many, has become the No. 1 free agent coach while the Ravens have arguably become the top seed.
Not surprisingly, one of Harbaugh’s contemporaries in the AFC believes there is no better head coach to be had.
“John Harbaugh is the best coach I know, the best coach I’ve ever seen. I’m his brother, so I might be biased,” Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday, via ESPN, of his big brother.
Jim Harbaugh, 62, knows firsthand how difficult it is to coach against big brother John, 63, as the latter has a 3-0 record when the two have faced each other.
John Harbaugh was fired Tuesday after his 18th season with Baltimore – ending the second-longest coaching tenure in the NFL. He had a 180-113 record as the Ravens’ head coach, 100 more wins than any other coach in franchise history and 14th in NFL history. Along the way, his teams won six AFC North titles, made 12 playoff appearances and won Super Bowl XLVII — against his brother Jim’s San Francisco 49ers.
Including the Ravens, there are currently seven head coaching vacancies in the NFL. John Harbaugh will be at the top of many franchises’ wish lists. Unfortunately for Jim, three of those potential suitors – the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans – are within the AFC as the Raiders share the AFC West with the Chargers. That’s how younger brother Jim knows more Harbaugh Bowls are likely to come.
“He’s going to be the head coach next year,” Jim said. “We will play against him in some shape or form.
He’s still crossing his fingers that they won’t share the same conference.
“Like I told him, any team he goes to is going to be scary,” Jim Harbaugh said. “Just hope it’s in the NFC.”
Jim admitted he was surprised his brother was fired, “like a lot of people,” he added.
With the Chargers playing the Ravens in 2026, perhaps there will be a little more motivation for the younger Harbaugh against his now-former brother’s team.
With the recruiting cycle in full swing and the Chargers heading into Sunday’s playoff game against the New England Patriots, Jim is super confident that John will respond to his firing recharged and ready to approach his next job with energy and enthusiasm.
Jim said, “He will attack with a ferocity unlike any known to mankind.