NFL coaching carousel live updates: Ravens fire John Harbaugh, latest news, firings, potential candidates and reaction
SOURCE:The Athletic|BY:The Athletic NFL Staff
Follow for the latest coaching and GM news as the 2025 regular season ends
Follow for the latest coaching and GM news as the 2025 regular season ends
The Athletic NFL Staff
January 6, 2026 at 8:48 PM EST
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John Harbaugh has interest from most teams with head coaching vacancies, but notably, I’m told calls are also coming in from a few teams that currently have a head coach in place.
Lots of discussions going down tonight.
Harbaugh will be at the top of many teams’ wishlists.
WATCH: Cowboys looking for new defensive coordinator
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The Cowboys have fired DC Matt Eberflus. What now and why? The Athletic's Jon Machota explains. | WATCH
John Harbaugh has a high regard for the Giants job and for Jaxson Dart. Of the six HC openings, I believe he might have the Giants at No. 1, or damn close to it. As I wrote yesterday, I believe he hurdles Kevin Stefanski as the leader in the clubhouse.
WATCH: Commanders move on from both coordinators
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The Commanders are starting over at offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. Why and what's next? Watch The Athletic's Commanders beat writer Nicki Jhabvala explain | WATCH
Kliff Kingsbury + Lamar Jackson?
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Amid recent leaguewide buzz about Kliff Kingsbury’s future, many believe Baltimore, paired with Lamar Jackson, would be an ideal landing spot for the now former Commanders offensive coordinator.
That will be a name to watch.
That John Harbaugh didn't have chance to inform his staff of his firing is proof of how quickly this all went down. Neither side was prepared for this outcome today.
Ravens team president Sashi Brown and general manager Eric DeCosta informed Harbaugh's staff of his departure.
Ravens release statement
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti speaks on John Harbaugh's firing.
Falcons restructure Kirk Cousins’ contract, will likely release him by March: Source
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons don’t have a head coach or a general manager, but that hasn’t stopped the team from continuing to do business.
The most significant item of business early this week was a restructuring of quarterback Kirk Cousins’ contract that gives the team more financial flexibility this spring and allows Cousins to essentially advertise to the rest of the league — or anyone interested in his services — that he will be a free agent by March 12.
Atlanta converted Cousins’ 2026 salary from $35 million to $2.1 million, according to a league source, moving the leftover $32.9 million to his 2027 base salary, making his base salary for that season $67.9 million. The move essentially guarantees Cousins will be released before March 13 because that entire $67.9 million would be due to him if he’s still on the roster then.
More on John Harbaugh’s exit from Baltimore
A key pressure point in the John Harbaugh dismissal, according to those familiar with today’s discussions, was his refusal to entertain any conversations about potentially moving on from offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Current openings, updated
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Head coach:
Titans
Giants
Falcons
Browns
Raiders
Cardinals
Ravens
GM:
Dolphins
Falcons
John Harbaugh is top coach available
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John Harbaugh will be a popular head-coaching candidate.
Ravens fire head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons
John Harbaugh’s 18-year run as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, which peaked with a victory over his brother in Super Bowl XLVII, is now over. Harbaugh was fired Tuesday, just days after the end of arguably the most disappointing regular season in team history and just nine months after he signed a three-year contract extension.
The Ravens, a popular preseason Super Bowl pick, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, given the tremendous 18 years we have spent together and the profound respect I have for John as a coach and, most importantly, as a great man of integrity,” team owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement.
Ravens fire head coach John Harbaugh
The Baltimore Ravens have fired head coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens missed the playoffs at 8-9 this season.
Detroit Lions fire John Morton after one season as offensive coordinator
The Lions are parting ways with offensive coordinator John Morton, a source told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on Tuesday. The Lions confirmed the firing in a statement on X.
Hired a year ago to replace Ben Johnson, the fit was easy to see. He and Campbell coached together with Sean Payton in New Orleans. He’s worked for Jim Harbaugh, Jon Gruden and Pete Carroll. He was a senior offensive assistant in Detroit during the 2022 season — Johnson’s first as Lions OC. Johnson even gauged Morton’s interest in joining his staff in Chicago. His reputation as a grinder has given him a long-term seat at the table in this league.
But things weren’t working here. It’s weird to say about an offense that finished the regular season tied for fourth in scoring (28.3 points per game) and fifth in yards per game (373.2). But this offense simply didn’t look or operate the same. That became apparent around midseason. The offense was scoring points, but struggled to string together drives, win in the trenches and get the ball to playmakers like Jameson Williams and David Montgomery. The Lions were often stubborn in their game plans and slow to adjust. As it all unfolded, Morton’s words never seemed to match Campbell’s. Save for a few moments, his comments often lacked accountability.
Lions firing OC John Morton
The Lions are firing OC John Morton, who replaced former Lions OC and current Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Browns request interview with Ravens’ Monken
Can confirm that Browns requested permission to interview Ravens OC Todd Monken for HC vacancy, as NFL Network first reported.
Monken also interviewed last month for Michigan HC job that went to Kyle Whittingham.
Monken will have options regardless of how things play out in Balt.
How the NFL head coach interview process works: Timeline and the Rooney Rule
The NFL coaching carousel kicked off Monday, with seven teams — the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans — searching for new head coaches.
As franchises look to fill their vacant coaching positions, here’s a breakdown of the NFL’s formal interview process and the rules that dictate how and when teams can contact candidates.
Initial interview rules and timeline
(Jeremy Guerin / The Athletic)
NFL teams got the green light to start scheduling initial interviews with coaching candidates on Monday, Jan. 5. But there’s a major caveat: Until the divisional round of the playoffs is completed, all of those meetings must be held virtually. These guidelines do not apply to candidates who aren’t currently employed by NFL franchises.
The Colts released a letter to their fans today. On Sunday, the team announced it is retaining head coach Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard.
Who will the Falcons hire after firing coach Raheem Morris? Here are 18 candidates
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — By firing Raheem Morris on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons have jumped into one of the most unpredictable head coaching candidate pools in recent memory. After a 2025 cycle that included obvious choices such as Ben Johnson, Liam Coen and Mike Vrabel, the 2026 cycle includes a little bit of everything.
The Falcons could go with an experienced veteran who’s out of work (such as Mike McCarthy), any number of second-chance candidates (such as Brian Flores or Matt Nagy) or the presumptive “next hot thing” (such as Jeff Hafley or Klint Kubiak). They could also end up looking at a coach who is currently employed but is let go after all the dust settles on this season. Matt LaFleur of the Packers, John Harbaugh of the Ravens and Mike McDaniel of the Dolphins could eventually be out at their current jobs.
Whomever the Falcons hire will be their third head coach in four seasons and will have to work with a new head of personnel (or president of football, as they’re calling it). That could be former Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, who is mulling an offer to join the team in a high-ranking front office position, according to league sources.
