John Harbaugh Will Earn Nearly $34 Million After Being Fired From The Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens fired head coach John Harbaugh the day after the NFL regular season wrapped up. The team started a listless 1-5 and ultimately missed the playoffs, finishing with a losing record at 8-9. Harbaugh had spent 18 years with the Ravens, including winning a championship in Super Bowl XLVII. But it was time for a change, and Harbaugh and the Ravens parted ways.

However, Baltimore is still on the hook for $34 million of Harbaugh's salary. The team's former coach and his agent were strategic in how his dismissal was worded. If Harbaugh and the Ravens came to an amicable decision and he resigned as coach, the team may have been able to recoup some of that money.

Instead, the official statement from Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said he informed Harbaugh that he "has been relieved of his duties." Since it's a firing, Harbaugh is entitled to a massive buyout.

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Harbaugh leaves Baltimore as the team's all-time winningest coach by a wide margin, finishing his tenure with a 180-113 record. After joining the team in 2008—his first head coaching job—Harbaugh led the Ravens to 12 playoff appearances, six AFC North titles, four AFC title games, and that Super Bowl victory during the 2012 season.

That was with Joe Flacco at quarterback, who has since played for two of Baltimore's AFC North rivals, the Browns and Bengals.

With an average annual salary of about $11.33 million, Harbaugh will be making over $944,000 per month for the next three years. He signed a contract extension in March 2025 that ran through the 2028 season.

The good news for the Ravens is that they likely won't have to pay the entire amount to Harbaugh. If he winds up getting another head coaching job in the league, that will offset some of what Baltimore owes (though not all of it).

Harbaugh finding a new gig seems highly likely. Early reports said seven different teams were inquiring about the newly available coach—that's nearly a quarter of the league.

As a result, Harbaugh could potentially be inking a new deal in the coming weeks. Although taking a year or two off wouldn't be the worst idea. It's not like he'll be hurting for cash.