For the first time in 18 years, the skyline will be different for Harbaugh.
He took over Baltimore in 2008, starting a run of 193 total victories, 12 playoff berths, six division titles, four AFC Championship Game appearances, and his crowning achievement in Super Bowl XLVII.
The challenge of rebuilding another contender doesn’t bother him. In fact, he is looking forward to it. He saw his brother, Jim, break ground two years ago in Los Angeles. The Chargers went on to post double-digit wins and make the postseason in 2024 and 2025.
It was Jim’s second NFL act after he led the 49ers to three conference championships in four seasons, including a Super Bowl appearance against John’s Ravens.
“As a matter of fact, that’s what my brother told me,” John said of Jim. “He said you’re going to be really excited to walk into that room for the first time with a different team, a team that you haven’t been around, and just start fresh from the beginning and kind of build it up the way you want to – new, knowing all the things you know now that you’ve learned in the last 18 years or last 28 years. I just can’t wait.”
Prior to the Ravens, Harbaugh spent a decade with the Philadelphia Eagles. He quickly established a reputation as one of the top special teams coordinators in the league and was one of four assistants retained by Andy Reid in 1999.
Reid, of course, knows a thing about encores.
“Andy is a man of few words, and his four words to me were: Change can be good,” Harbaugh said. “That’s what he said, change can be good. He was excited. He’s fired up for us. He’s a good friend. Yeah, we’ll try to do — how about we do this, how about we deal that right now. We’ll sign up for that deal right now, what he did in Kansas City. Let’s do that.”
