The Baltimore Ravens are one of nine teams in search of a new head coach this offseason. Their immensely disappointing 2025 season ended in heartbreaking fashion, as they missed the playoffs on the last day of the regular season. As a result, the team parted ways with longtime head coach John Harbaugh.
Baltimore has been doing a ton of work on the coaching front. As of January 14, they have conducted 10 interviews, and have at least five more coming.
There hasn’t been a whole lot leaked in terms of which names the Ravens are leaning toward, but owner Steve Bisciotti mentioned he is intrigued by experienced candidates who were once fired as head coaches but have quickly risen back to the top of possible coaching candidates.
Among those whom the team has interviewed and fits that billing is Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Shockingly, the proven defensive mastermind has just two head coaching interviews slated thus far. The issue is that the other possible landing spot is Baltimore’s most heated rival: the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers learned that Mike Tomlin would be stepping away from coaching after their playoff exit, which immediately makes them a strong competitor for the most talented coaching candidates.
Steelers rivaling Ravens in potential race for Brian Flores
Flores isn’t necessarily guaranteed to be the top head coaching target in the eyes of either landing spot, but each certainly would make sense.
In Baltimore’s case, they’ve been a franchise that has long thrived on a defense that sets the tone. After their defense was abysmal in 2025, it’s obvious that they’ll be looking to reinforce the philosophy that made them one of the most feared teams in the league for so long. A defensive-minded head coach would help do just that.
On Pittsburgh’s side of things, they actually have a strong relationship with Flores. After getting fired by the Miami Dolphins in 2021, he got back in the coaching scene with the Steelers as their senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach. Just a year later, he found himself leading a dominant Vikings’ defense from 2023 to 2025. There is obviously mutual interest, and it will likely make Flores the leading candidate to become the heir to Tomlin.
Obviously, there are plenty of worthy head coaching candidates, but it certainly wouldn’t be great to see one of your top targets go to your divisional rival, where you’d have to play them twice a year. By the looks of it, that might be the case for the Ravens.