For the first time in 18 years, the Baltimore Ravens will be searching for a new head coach after John Harbaugh was fired on Tuesday.
Harbaugh has been with the Ravens since 2008 and has a Super Bowl win on his resume. While he is expected to be the top name in the current cycle, the Ravens might already have a leading candidate in place: Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
As soon as the Harbaugh news surfaced, analysts began linking Minter to Baltimore.
Jesse Minter to the Ravens makes a lot of sense. Familiar, fixes defense & great leader.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 6, 2026
My money is on Jesse Minter to Baltimore.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) January 6, 2026
Ravens Eric DeCosta GM sees the success John Schneider has had parting with Pete Carroll and hiring former Ravens D-Coordinator Mike Macdonald. DeCosta now gets his opportunity to hire his partner for the next decade, ideally. Most will speculate on Jesse Minter. Ravens are a…
— Chad Forbes (@NFLDraftBites) January 6, 2026
Jesse Minter is the top choice for the Baltimore Ravens. Who he hires as his OC would be important, but that defense would absolutely return to being elite.
— Football Scout 365 (@DraftAnalyst365) January 6, 2026
Who would be the right OC for Lamar Jackson?
He could Bring Greg Roman with him? lol.
Kingsbury makes a lot of sense. https://t.co/szA1pfaiQs
The Ravens’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night ended their hopes of an AFC North division crown, and the Tyler Loop missed field goal will go down as the final memory of Harbaugh’s long Ravens tenure.
With the Ravens’ job open for the first time in nearly 20 years, Minter is a name that has ties to Baltimore. The Chargers DC was with the Ravens as a defensive assistant in 2017 and 2018, then assistant defensive backs coach in 2019, and defensive backs coach in 2020 before he left to spend time at Vanderbilt and Michigan.
Minter is also a name garnering attention in this NFL head coaching cycle, but with the Chargers playing in the Wild Card round on Sunday against the New England Patriots, he will have to wait to officially interview with interested franchises.
