Ravens give John Harbaugh contract extension despite postseason disappointment

The Baltimore Ravens and John Harbaugh are sticking together, through thick and thin.

The 62-year-old head coach, who has been with the organization since 2008, has inked a three-year contract extension, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. That ties him to Baltimore through the 2028 season. He is currently the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL behind Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin.

The Ravens won the AFC North last season with a 12-5 record before getting knocked out of the divisional round by the Kansas City Chiefs. Harbaugh won the Super Bowl all the way back in 2012, securing the organization's second Lombardi Trophy.

John Harbaugh signs contract extension to keep him with Ravens through 2028

This contract helps Harbaugh avoid lame-duck status and keeps a competitive Ravens core in tact. Harbaugh was never at much risk on the job front, but this extension does bring about mixed feelings in the Ravens fanbase. It's only natural to get tired of the status quo eventually, especially when the status quo does not lead to the ultimate high.

Since Baltimore won its Super Bowl 13 years ago, Harbaugh's Ravens are 3-7 in the playoffs. He is a tremendous regular season coach, but questions around his postseason futility are beginning to mount. Still, Baltimore will begin the 2025 campaign as a frontrunner in the AFC, giving Harbaugh a chance to buck that narrative with another deep run.

The Ravens have all the pieces on paper — a perennial MVP candidate at quarterback in Lamar Jackson, an elite playmaking corps between Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, and Mark Andrews, as well as a traditionally stout defense. Jackson, a two-time MVP, was widely expected to win his third this past season before Josh Allen pulled out the minor upset. He should be right back in the mix again next winter.

Harbaugh is, beyond all doubt, a good head coach. It's fair to wonder if he's a great head coach, however, which is the hangup for skeptical Ravens fans. Plenty of coaches lose their fastball over time. There's a stark difference between winning a Super Bowl in 2012 and winning a Super Bowl in 2025. The game changes, and it passes certain folks by. Harbaugh keeps generating regular season wins, but Baltimore has not figured out its postseason bugaboos of late.

Some of this is purely circumstantial. The entire AFC has run up against the Chiefs brick wall in recent years. Baltimore, however, lost to Allen's Bills in their most recent postseason bid. Jackson lost the head-to-head, and his general playoffs output has fallen well below the very high standards he sets during the regular season. That isn't necessarily a Harbaugh problem, but some Ravens fans would've welcomed a fresh offensive mind to potentially unlock Jackson on the postseason stage. That's all that matters now. Regular season success is just the prelude; Baltimore needs to mount a deep run again.

Harbaugh has earned his money and the Ravens could certainly end up in a worse spot with a new head coach, so this is the safe move. There are strong parallels to Tomlin's situation in Pittsburgh. Steelers fans are tired of constantly making the playoffs and then getting booted in the first round, but that's a whole lot better than not making the playoffs to begin with.