While John Harbaugh immediately became the hottest head coaching candidate in the NFL hiring cycle after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, there’s a catch for interested teams: They’ve been informed that he intends to take some time to collect his thoughts and plan for the future before beginning interviews next week, according to league sources.

Harbaugh, 63, spent 18 seasons with the Ravens, winning a Super Bowl, going to the AFC Championship Game four times and having just three losing seasons. Still, he was fired after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, becoming a leading candidate for many of the league’s open head coaching jobs, which now number eight.

The New York Giants have been widely speculated as a potential destination for Harbaugh. The Miami Dolphins — who fired Mike McDaniel on Thursday, and whose GM finalists include Chad Alexander, who is close with Harbaugh — are also a franchise to watch. However, they have yet to contact Harbaugh for a formal interview, according to a league source. Alexander, now an assistant GM with the Los Angeles Chargers, spent 20 years with the Ravens, overlapping with Harbaugh for much of that span.

The Giants,  Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals all have head coaching openings, in addition to Baltimore’s. While initial interviews with coaches who are still employed by NFL teams must be conducted virtually, those rules don’t apply to candidates who are not currently employed by NFL teams.

Harbaugh is far from the only top candidate in that category: recently fired head coaches Kevin Stefanski (formerly of Cleveland) and Raheem Morris (formerly of Atlanta) are already lining up interviews, as are former head coaches including Mike McCarthy and Jason Garrett. Morris had dinner with Giants officials Wednesday night, according to a league source.

Current NFL assistant coaches who have landed multiple interview requests include Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Still, Harbaugh’s accomplishments distinguish him from most other candidates, and his brother — Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh — is among the many who assume he will quickly land another job.

“He’ll be attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, the next opportunity,” Jim Harbaugh said on Wednesday. “There will be a team — that will be like a gift, have one of the best coaches ever, the best coach I know. … He’ll be a head coach next year. We’ll be playing against him in some form or fashion. As I said, I hope that’s in the NFC.”