{"id":498406,"date":"2026-01-07T07:44:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T07:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/498406\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T07:44:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T07:44:18","slug":"ravens-players-say-news-of-john-harbaughs-firing-is-shocking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/498406\/","title":{"rendered":"Ravens players say news of John Harbaugh\u2019s firing is \u2018shocking\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Join the huddle. Sign up here<\/a> for Ravens updates in your inbox.<\/p>\n

One day after cleaning out their lockers in Owings Mills, Ravens players were making plans for the offseason, packing and, in linebacker Teddye Buchanan\u2019s case, undergoing surgery.<\/p>\n

They knew they\u2019d underperformed this season<\/a>, and they knew change was coming.<\/p>\n

They did not think it would come in the form of firing John Harbaugh<\/a>, according to several players who spoke with The Baltimore Banner. And they found out the way most other people did: The news leaked before Ravens officials could call a meeting, meaning many players found out via social media or texts from friends and family.<\/p>\n

The players, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal team dynamics, described the move as \u201cshocking\u201d and \u201csurprising.\u201d <\/p>\n

One said he was packing when he received a notification just a few minutes before a 6 p.m. Zoom call where players were officially told what they already knew: After 18 seasons, Harbaugh had been fired. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part, it was unexpected because of how long he\u2019d been there,\u201d a player said. \u201cI don\u2019t think most thought it would happen, but with what went down, you expect something to give, just not that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The players said they expected either offensive coordinator Todd Monken or defensive coordinator Zach Orr \u2014 or both \u2014 to be fired. Harbaugh was seen as the quintessential CEO head coach, setting a vision for the team while expecting his coordinators to execute; unlike most head coaches, he did not serve as an offensive or defensive coordinator at any point in his career.<\/p>\n

So if a unit struggled \u2014 the offense fell from No. 1 to 11 in DVOA this year, while the defense went from No. 6 to 17 \u2014 players believed the coordinators would take the fall. <\/p>\n

Especially if a coordinator\u2019s relationship with his players had started to disintegrate. Multiple sources spoke to The Banner earlier this season to discuss discontent with Monken<\/a> after the team got off to a 1-5 start.<\/p>\n

Those sources, who had direct knowledge of how Monken ran the offense, said players felt the Ravens worked on a specific game plan during the week only to abandon it mid-game, creating chaos and confusion. They also viewed Monken as increasingly standoffish and unwilling to collaborate with players.<\/p>\n

\"Baltimore<\/p>\n

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely and offensive coordinator Todd Monken after a team practice in Owings Mills in 2024. (Ulysses Mu\u00f1oz\/The Banner)<\/p>\n

Team sources expressed frustration over Monken\u2019s decisions throughout the season. Why did the Ravens abandon the run<\/a> in critical moments? Why did the they bother to sign wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins if Monken was not going to use him<\/a>? And why did Monken struggle to build a viable offense for games where Lamar Jackson was limited or out?<\/p>\n

Defensive players, meanwhile, fervently defended Orr<\/a> while acknowledging they were not playing well enough.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr watches as the Ravens defense struggles to stop the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth quarter of Sunday\u2019s game. (Jerry Jackson\/The Banner)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a lot of highs and lows this year, a lot of just self-inflicted wounds,\u201d cornerback Marlon Humphrey said after their final loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. \u201cWe just never quite got to be the brand consistently, drive after drive, that we kind of wanted, game after game. It just was rough.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that he expected there to be change this offseason since \u201cthis is a business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll do their meetings, and they\u2019ll figure out who needs to stay, who needs to go,\u201d Humphrey said. \u201cI can really only speak for myself; I just wait and see if I\u2019m part of the plans going forward or if I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

The players who spoke with The Banner knew change was coming, but they saw Harbaugh as untouchable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s anyone that\u2019s a Raven through and through, it was him,\u201d a player said.<\/p>\n

Several players, including running back Derrick Henry, had expressed their support for Harbaugh after the loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love coach Harbaugh,\u201d Henry said. \u201cI would love to see him at this organization. As far as those decisions, that\u2019s out of my pay grade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A poster board of one of Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry\u2019s touchdowns on the floor during the team\u2019s end-of-season locker room clean-out on Monday. (Ulysses Mu\u00f1oz\/The Banner)<\/p>\n

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley also said the decision went higher up.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job is to lead my O-line, lead the offense, lead the guys that are in the locker room \u2014 that\u2019s what I try to keep my focus on, and I try to keep it simple,” Stanley said. \u201cI love Harbs and everything he has done for the team, and whatever they handle \u2014that\u2019s their business.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson had a much more vague response, using the loss to avoid the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re asking me about next year. I\u2019m so caught up in what just happened tonight,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI can\u2019t focus on that right now, I just told you. Like he asked me, \u2018Are you stunned?\u2019 I\u2019m stunned right now, and I\u2019m still trying to process what\u2019s going on. I know we lost, but what the … you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BALTIMORE,<\/p>\n

Harbaugh and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson laugh on the field ahead of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. (Dan Kubus\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Jackson denied rumors of a rift between him and Harbaugh<\/a> in the days leading up to the game with the Steelers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I believe so,\u201d he said when asked if he has a good relationship with Harbaugh. \u201cLike I said, I don\u2019t know where the noise came from. I don\u2019t know where the noise came from.\u201d<\/p>\n

The son of a longtime college coach, Harbaugh often came across as strict and paternal \u2014 especially early in his career. But he famously received pushback from Ravens legends Ray Lewis and Ed Reed<\/a>, who urged him to give players more freedom. <\/p>\n

After Tuesday\u2019s firing, one player called Harbaugh a \u201cplayers-first\u201d coach. Another who said he did not always agree with Harbaugh\u2019s approach said players were nervous about the potential for wholesale change; a new coach is almost certain to turn over most of the staff. <\/p>\n

\u201cChange is going to take adjusting to,\u201d the player said. \u201cYou never know how it\u2019s going to go because you don\u2019t know how the team will react.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Join the huddle. Sign up here for Ravens updates in your inbox. One day after cleaning out their…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":498407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[10],"tags":[22970,62,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-498406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-featured-extrawide","tag-sports","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115852703692508353","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=498406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=498406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=498406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}