The Baltimore Ravens didn't make any announcements on Black Monday, leaving fans expecting that head coach John Harbaugh was safe. This was 24 hours after the Ravens were eliminated from playoff contention by the rival Pittsburgh Steelers after a missed game-winning field goal by Tyler Loop. But on Tuesday evening, the Ravens sent shockwaves throughout the entire NFL.
Multiple reports revealed that the Ravens fired Harbaugh after 18 seasons with the team. By letting go of Harbaugh, he is expected to be the top candidate for any team in need of a head coach, whether they actually have a vacancy currently or not. As for the Ravens, they should still be one of the top destinations for the top head coaching candidates. But who would be the right person to hire?
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah brought up one name that would make sense for the Ravens to replace Harbaugh, and that's current Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Jesse Minter to the Ravens makes a lot of sense. Familiar, fixes defense & great leader.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 6, 2026
Jesse Minter makes too much sense for Ravens as John Harbaugh's replacement
Minter is expected to be one of the top head coaching candidates of this cycle, and understandably so. He is one of the bright young defensive minds in football, and many project him to be one of the next great head coaches. Minter's work with the Chargers is why they are a playoff team this year.
The Chargers have allowed an average of 285.2 yards of total offense (fifth-fewest in NFL) and 20.0 points per game (ninth-fewest). The Chargers also boast one of the top passing defenses, as they allowed 179.9 passing yards per game, fifth-fewest in NFL, and recorded 19 interceptions, third-most in the league. These are reasons why Minter is expected to be a hot commodity in the coaching cycle.
Imagine what Minter could do with the Ravens defense. Baltimore has the pieces on that side of the line of scrimmage, especially in the secondary. It should be a seamless fit for Minter.
Minter has obvious Harbaugh ties. He's currently working with Jim Harbaugh, John's younger brother in Los Angeles. Before that, Minter worked alongside Jim at the University of Michigan, as their defensive coordinator from 2022 and 2023, where he won a National Championship in the latter year.
The Ravens have familiarity with former Michigan defensive coordinators. Mike Macdonald worked alongside John in Baltimore as a coaching intern in 2014, defensive assistant from 2015 until 2016, defensive backs coach in 2017, and linebacker coach from 2018 until 2020. Macdonald left for Michigan in 2021, but returned to Baltimore in 2022 as defensive coordinator. He would stay at that position until after the 2023 season, when he was hired as head coach for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Ravens are going to be a top destination for the top coaching candidates in the league. One of those candidates that makes too much sense is Minter.