Browns will likely be interested in John Harbaugh as a possible replacement for Kevin Stefanski

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If you can’t hit him, spot if he’ll subordinate you.

The Ravens rocked nan NFL world connected Tuesday by parting ways pinch 18-year caput coach John Harbaugh, nan Super Bowl winning coach who’s owned nan Browns since he took complete nan Ravens successful 2008.

The Browns, who fired Kevin Stefanski connected Monday morning, will undoubtedly person liking successful Harbaugh, 62, who went 27-8 against nan Browns, including 12-5 successful Cleveland.

The Browns person already requested an question and reply pinch Harbaugh’s violative coordinator, Todd Monken, for their caput coach vacancy. Monken, who’s been nan Ravens’ OC since 2023, was nan Browns’ OC successful 2019 nether Freddie Kitchens.

Harbaugh was fired aft nan Ravens vanished 8-9 pursuing their 26-24 nonaccomplishment to nan Steelers connected Sunday night. They had a chance to triumph nan AFC North pinch a victory, but rookie kicker Tyler Loop, their sixth-round pick, missed nan 44-yard crippled winning section extremity attempt.

• Browns petition question and reply pinch Todd Monken, their erstwhile OC and existent Ravens coordinator, for their caput coach vacancy
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• Who do nan Browns play successful 2026 (and could Kevin Stefanski beryllium connected nan opposing sideline)?

The Browns are conducting a thorough hunt for their adjacent caput coach, and are open-minded astir which broadside of nan shot he comes from.

Harbaugh came from typical teams, and parlayed that acquisition into a wildly successful tally pinch nan Ravens, including 185 wins complete his 18 seasons. He besides boasts 13 winning seasons and 24 playoff games. He’s besides led nan Ravens, first pinch Joe Flacco and past pinch Lamar Jackson, to a full of 4 AFC North titles.

A Toledo native, Harbaugh is highly good thought of by nan Browns organization.

Harbaugh, who instantly becomes nan hottest campaigner connected nan market, has been a changeless connected nan Ravens’ sideline for astir 2 decades, a rarity successful a convention defined by churn and speedy exits. Hired successful January 2008 aft a agelong NFL apprenticeship arsenic a typical teams coach, Harbaugh arrived successful Baltimore without nan buzz of a play-calling pedigree. What he brought alternatively was organizational discipline, attraction to item and an expertise to negociate an full cognition — traits that person defined 1 of nan astir unchangeable coaching tenures successful modern NFL history.

Harbaugh took complete a squad built connected defense and toughness, and his early occurrence came quickly. In his first season, nan Ravens went 11–5 and reached nan AFC Championship Game down a ascendant defense and a rookie quarterback, Joe Flacco. That look — beingness football, situational excellence and postseason poise — became a Harbaugh hallmark. From 2008 done 2014, Baltimore reached nan playoffs six times, ne'er finishing worse than 8–8, while establishing itself arsenic 1 of nan league’s astir difficult teams to hole for.

The highest of Harbaugh’s early tenure came during nan 2012 season, erstwhile nan Ravens surged done nan playoffs and defeated nan San Francisco 49ers successful Super Bowl XLVII. The title validated Harbaugh’s dependable attack and cemented his credibility wrong nan locker room, wherever he was known for demanding accountability while empowering seasoned leaders. It besides marked nan opening of a uncommon distinction: Harbaugh and his relative Jim, past coaching nan 49ers, became nan first siblings to reason each different successful a Super Bowl.

As nan roster evolved, truthful did Harbaugh. The modulation from Flacco to Lamar Jackson successful 2018 reshaped nan Ravens’ personality and showcased Harbaugh’s adaptability. Rather than forcing Jackson into a accepted system, Harbaugh committed afloat to a run-heavy, option-based discourtesy tailored to his quarterback’s unsocial skills. The consequence was a 14–2 play successful 2019, Jackson’s unanimous MVP grant and different reinvention of Baltimore’s violative philosophy.

While postseason occurrence has been uneven successful caller years, Harbaugh’s teams person remained competitory contempt injuries and roster turnover. His activity has been particularly weighted during periods of transition, pinch wide head Eric DeCosta and proprietor Steve Bisciotti consistently backing his semipermanent vision. Harbaugh’s expertise to refresh his staff, modernize schemes and support locker-room credibility has allowed nan Ravens to debar nan boom-and-bust cycles communal elsewhere.

Measured not conscionable by wins but by sustained relevance, Harbaugh’s tenure stands arsenic 1 of nan defining coaching runs of his era — a blend of stability, adaptability and organizational spot seldom matched successful today’s NFL.

Mary Kay Cabot has much than 30 years acquisition covering nan Cleveland Browns for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com, and became only nan 2nd female successful Pro Football Hall of Fame history to triumph nan Bill Nunn...