Near the end of a riveting and revealing press conference, Owner Steve Bisciotti summed up his heart-wrenching decision to part ways with John Harbaugh.
"I just hope you respect me enough to know that 100%, my instincts told me that this was the time," Bisciotti said. "I may be right, I may be wrong, but I did it because I'm in charge of doing it.
"We love John like a brother, and it was really the most difficult decision that we made. But we made it. It's the big picture. We want the Ravens to succeed. I felt it was the right time to make the change. If not now, when?"
Bisciotti said much more. During an hour-long session with the media, he and General Manager Eric DeCosta fielded questions with emotion and candor. Bisciotti commanded the room. Inquiring minds wanted to know, and he delivered, sometimes with humor, always with honesty.
Many of the queries centered around the team's decision to move on from Harbaugh, the winningest head coach in franchise history, as the search for his successor continues. Harbaugh led the Ravens for 18 seasons. He is Bisciotti's friend for life. Their bond stood the test of time. They won a Super Bowl together, shared wins and losses, joy and pain, and memories that will last a lifetime.
If their professional relationship ever ended before either was ready, it was going to be painful. That moment came Jan. 6, when Bisciotti phoned Harbaugh to inform him that he was being let go.
"I never dreamed of firing somebody by phone," Bisciotti said. "But the reality is, when I made my decision on Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 6), I was home and he was in his car heading to his house. I thought it would kind of be a jerk move to say, 'Hey Coach, meet me at the office in an hour.'"
The conversation was emotional, but as usual, they came to an understanding.
"I was the one choked up; he was the one consoling me," Bisciotti said.
They spoke in greater detail two days later and ended on great terms.
"When I talked to him on [last] Thursday, he was giving me advice on the Ravens, and I was giving him advice on these openings," Bisciotti said. "We're going to be friends forever."
Bisciotti said he woke up almost certain he would make the coaching change the day after a 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season finale. That loss eliminated the Ravens from the playoffs after an 8-9 season, their first losing campaign since 2021.
However, Bisciotti said he first discussed the possibility of making a change with DeCosta three or four weeks ago. He was not happy with the Ravens losing fourth-quarter leads over the last few years, including in Weeks 1 & 16 this season against the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots, respectively, and again in the season-ending loss in Pittsburgh.
He talked to several players the day after the season ended, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, and reached the conclusion that the time had come. The Ravens began the season with a roster they believed was good enough to win a Super Bowl, but they did not come close to reaching that goal.
Bisciotti could not ignore that Baltimore went from reaching the AFC Championship game in 2023, to being eliminated in the Divisional Round in 2024, to missing the playoffs in 2025. Trending backward in a highly competitive league where winning is never guaranteed could not be totally blamed on Harbaugh, but it happened under his watch.
"When we fail, we all fail together," Bisciotti said. "You can't say the timing is perfect in anything, but I got to the point where I didn't believe that I would feel regret after I made that decision. That's what instinct is.
"People were saying we were underachievers. We were. And we had to own that."
868: Reaction to Steve Bisciotti & Eric DeCosta's Press Conference
Team insiders Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing share what they learned about John Harbaugh's firing, the future with Lamar Jackson, what the Ravens want in their next head coach, where they want to most improve the roster, and more.
After making the coaching change, Bisciotti was pleased to watch Harbaugh immediately become the NFL's most coveted coach. Instead of being criticized, he's being courted.
During their time together, Bisciotti was a confidante to Harbaugh, offering advice to help him navigate through difficult times. Much of the criticism that Harbaugh received during his tenure seemed unfair to Bisciotti, and that bothered him.
"I couldn't stand people attacking my friend," Bisciotti said. "Some of the stuff that they talked about with John ate me alive. … I get to relieve John of all that crap, too, and John gets to start anew."
With Mike Tomlin stepping away as the Steelers' head coach on Tuesday, the NFL's two longest-tenured coaches left their positions in back-to-back weeks.
The Ravens have not had to hire a new head coach in 18 years. They will soon be hiring another one, and the last two Ravens coaches, Harbaugh and Brian Billick, both won Super Bowls.
Bisciotti trusted his instincts when he hired a special teams coach 18 years ago, and he trusts his instincts now. The future is always uncertain, but Bisciotti says the Ravens will move ahead, determined to find the right coach to lead them next season and beyond. He said it was his decision alone to fire Harbaugh, not DeCosta's or anyone else among the Ravens' brain trust.
The decision is behind him. Now, Bisciotti wants great success with the next coach, whoever it may be.
"I made the decision by myself, and they (other decision-makers) understood," Bisciotti said. "We had already talked about why I was there, and I didn't need them to come to my side of the fence for me to make this tough decision.
"It was a wonderful, wonderful marriage. We accomplished great things. The next coach we get, I want him to be a Super Bowl-winning coach, too."
