By the time the Ravens decided to hire Jesse Minter to be their next head coach, General Manager Eric DeCosta was sleep-deprived.
The Ravens interviewed 20 candidates â an even wider net than the one previously reported. In the end, Minter was their guy.
DeCosta called it a "great process" learning so much from so many qualified candidates, but it didn't take long to see Minter was going to be a great fit.
The Ravens' first interview with Minter was on Jan. 14, the day after the press conference with Owner Steve Bisciotti and DeCosta, in which they laid out what they were looking for. Baltimore had already had nine first-round interviews before talking to Minter.
When did DeCosta know he was the guy?
"I think early on in the process, on that Zoom," DeCosta said from his office, just minutes after the Ravens made the hire.
"Talking to him and just seeing his respect for the culture in this building, his ideas, listening to him talk about his ideas for the offense, his ideas for the defense, his ideas for the special teams, what he wants his team to play like. Watching the Chargers play defense on fire every single week, his scheme, very creative. Looking at what he did at Michigan, looking at what he did at Vanderbilt, the coaches he's worked with. It all just kind of came together and it became clear to me that this was the right guy."
The Ravens already had an understanding of the type of person Minter is from his four years in Baltimore, working his way from a defensive assistant to defensive backs coach. He was part of the group of coaches that helped reinvent Baltimore's innovative defensive scheme during the 2018 offseason.
The talented band of coaches involved in that revolution were pried away to other places, including Minter, who left Baltimore to become a defensive coordinator in the SEC at Vanderbilt. After success there, he went to Michigan and helped Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines win a national championship in 2023.
Then it was to Los Angeles for his first shot as a defensive coordinator, where Minter had more success. In Minter's first season, the Chargers jumped from 24th in points allowed per game (23.4) to first (17.7).
"My first impression of Jesse was when he was here as a young assistant coach. What I've seen is tremendous growth," DeCosta said. "He's become one of the preeminent defensive play callers in the league as a coordinator. I think he does a lot with a little at times. I think he has a great feel for personnel. I think he's creative."
The Chargers haven't been loaded with Pro Bowl defensive players like the Ravens. Los Angeles' starting cornerbacks last season were Donte Jackson, who the Steelers let walk, and two young fifth-round picks in Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still.
Tuli Tuipulotu has exploded under Minter and was named to the Pro Bowl this year after logging 13 sacks. After Odafe Oweh was traded from Baltimore to Los Angeles in the middle of the season, he went off for 10.5 sacks in 13 games, including the playoffs.
Minter also deployed safety Derwin James Jr. in a new way, largely in the nickel (like how Kyle Hamilton is used in Baltimore), and James returned to All-Pro form.
But DeCosta knows he was hiring more than a bright defensive coordinator who could help turn around the Ravens' defense. He was hiring a head coach, and DeCosta saw the right man for that job.
DeCosta said he wasn't necessarily looking for somebody from a defensive background, but he did want somebody that brought excellence on offense or defense.
"I think my approach was basically like the Draft, that we were going to find the best available coach. In this case, the guy that checked off the most boxes, the guy that had a great ability to lead this team. And also, I think a guy that commands respect on one side of the ball," DeCosta said.
"And I think in talking to Jesse, it's also a gut thing, right? You talk to these guys and you start to imagine, what would this guy be like in a crisis situation? What will this guy be like when we win a game? What's this guy going to be like at halftime? We're in the offseason building a team, we're talking to players, trying to rally the troops, and all these different things, or hiring a coaching staff, which is something that I think Jesse's going to really excel at. So, I think you look at all these different things and you make a decision."
873: Reaction to Ravens Hiring Jesse Minter
Team insiders Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing share their initial reactions to the Ravens' decision to hire Jesse Minter as their next head coach, including the leadership he'll bring to Baltimore, why he's set up to succeed as a first-time head coach, how he'll elevate the defense, who could be his offensive coordinator, and more.
It's Minter's first time being a head coach at any level, but he's learned from some of the best â his father, Rick Minter, both Harbaugh brothers, Mike Tomlin, and more.
And yet, Minter is his own man, ready to step into the leading role for the first time.
"I think he's got authority to him," DeCosta said. "I think he has a presence about him, great humility, passion for the game. I think he understands the Ravens' culture and the DNA in this building. And I think he's the right coach for us."
