Ravens reach 3-year contract extension with coach John Harbaugh
John Harbaugh is officially locked down.
The Baltimore Ravens reached a three-year contract extension with Harbaugh on Tuesday, owner Steve Bisciotti said on Tuesday from league meetings in Florida.
Harbaugh, who was set to enter the final year of his last four-year deal this fall, will now remain with the team through the 2025 season.
We have signed head coach John Harbaugh to a three-year extension through 2025❗️❗️ pic.twitter.com/IjHt1xRt3Y
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) March 29, 2022
"No interest in having him go lame duck on me here. It's not fair to him," Bisciotti said, via ESPN. "I think John's grown and grown and grown. It's kind of interesting. I don't feel like I'm just signing up the same guy. I think that's really a compliment to him. I really feel like there's a rebirth in John as the years go on. Things that mattered to him don't matter as much anymore. I'm just thrilled as an owner to have a guy that's going to be going into his 15th year. So, I'm pretty pleased with it."
Harbaugh was hired in Baltimore in 2008, which marked his first head job in the league after serving as an assistant for a decade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Over that span, he’s compiled a 148-96 record and won a Super Bowl during the 2012 season. He’s led the team to the playoffs nine times, and only finished with a losing record twice — including last season.
Only two other coaches in the league — Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and Patriots coach Bill Belichick — have been with their teams longer.
Ravens will now turn to Lamar Jackson
With Harbaugh locked up, the Ravens will now likely turn to quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson is set to enter the fifth-year option on his initial contract with the Ravens this fall. The team has reportedly reached out to start negotiations on a possible deal, but no significant progress has been made. Biscotti said he doesn’t expect Jackson to sign an extension before next season starts “unless he has a change of heart.” The decision to wait on a new deal, he said, is “unique as hell.”
Jackson threw for more than 2,800 yards and ran for 767 yards in 12 games last season, his fourth with the team. He missed the final four games of the season with an ankle injury.
One thing that potentially complicated any extension, Biscotti said Tuesday, is Deshaun Watson’s new contract.
Watson signed a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract with the Cleveland Browns earlier this month after he was traded there by the Houston Texans. That marked the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
“It’s like, ‘Damn, I wish they hadn’t guaranteed the whole contract.’ I don’t know that he should’ve been the first guy to get a fully guaranteed contract,” Biscotti said, via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. “To me, that’s something that is groundbreaking, and it’ll make negotiations harder with others. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to play that game, you know? We shall see.”
