John Harbaugh to return in 2019: 3 potential factors to that decision

2. The grass isn’t always greener:

The fact that John Harbaugh was so highly coveted as a head coaching candidate may have alarmed Steve Bisciotti and Eric DeCosta. It’s hard to fire somebody when he has a list of potential landing spots. If Harbaugh went somewhere else, the Ravens knew that he could make them look silly. When you replace a head coach, it can go one of two ways. When it goes the wrong way, it can set the franchise back. The Ravens have missed the postseason three years in a row but they have only one losing season under Harbaugh.

The grass isn’t always greener is the perfect cliche for this situation. The Ravens may not have been enamored with the list of candidates that could replace Harbaugh. Every coach has their expiration date, but when the Ravens move on from Harbaugh it will be a monumental crossroads for the team. When the potential change is  going to either be very good or very bad, staying the same is a safe choice. The Ravens have only one losing season under Harbaugh, a fact that was secured by the Ravens win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That losing season was lost to a horrible string of injuries and nobody could have salvaged it.

Bringing in a new head coach is exciting, but it is also scary. Harbaugh is the Ravens preferred coach for 2019 because they don’t want to be forced into a coaching change. The Ravens value continuity and stability more than most teams in the NFL. Whether it’s good or bad, Steve Bisciotti stuck inside his comfort zone on this decision. The timing of this hints that by getting the season back on track, Harbaugh has done enough for Bisciotti to be able to keep him.