John Harbaugh fired by Ravens, so are Miami Dolphins interested?
The news that John Harbaugh, a Super Bowl-winning coach of the Baltimore Ravens, is out after 18 seasons will force Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to make a decision.
Is he confident Mike McDaniel can turn around the Dolphins in his fifth season?
Or should he pursue Harbaugh?
It’s too early to tell if there’s interest by either party, but it’s highly unlikely Ross would court a coach named Harbaugh while he has another coach under contract. That happened once before, when Ross was linked to Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, despite having Tony Sparano as Dolphins coach. In the NFL, such flirtations are considered a faux pas, a lesson Ross learned in those early days of team ownership.
The Dolphins just concluded a 7-10 season, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Strong indications are they expect to continue with McDaniel as coach in 2026.
“My understanding is that I’m the coach of the Miami Dolphins until told otherwise,” McDaniel said to open his end-of-season news conference Jan. 5.
The Dolphins have not issued a formal statement on Ross’ behalf saying McDaniel will return, but traditionally, clubs making a coaching change don’t ask the departing leader to face the media on his way out.
Even if the Dolphins are interested in hiring Harbaugh, there’s no guarantee that will happen. His agent, Bryan Harlan, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that within 45 minutes of Harbaugh’s firing, seven NFL teams called to show interest. There are six NFL openings, excluding the Ravens’.
The Dolphins, who are conducting interviews for their vacant general manager position, are not thought to be among those seven teams calling Harlan, a league source told The Palm Beach Post.
Ross has channeled millions to the University of Michigan, the alma mater he shares with Jim Harbaugh, helping explain why their names have been linked throughout the years.
Before the 2011 season, Ross flew to California to meet with then-Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, the current Los Angeles Chargers coach. To smooth over feelings with the slighted Sparano, Ross gave his coach an extension and a raise. It didn’t work. Sparano lasted only 13 games into that season before being replaced on an interim basis by Todd Bowles.
“He could never put it behind him,” Ross said on Miami radio station 790-The Ticket two years later. “I don’t think he was the right head coach for the Miami Dolphins. I didn’t hire him. We’re a much better organization today than then.”
Stephen Ross' respect for John Harbaugh runs deep
Ross’ respect for John Harbaugh also ran deep. In 2019, before Ross replaced Adam Gase with Brian Flores, The Post, citing an informed source, reported that Ross had a “burning interest” in John Harbaugh.
Media speculation at the time was that Ross might pursue Harbaugh if the Ravens didn’t extend his contract. Months after Harbaugh signed an extension, the Ravens opened the season against the Dolphins. Speaking to South Florida reporters before that game, Harbaugh said neither he nor his agent had contact with the Dolphins while his future hung in the balance.
McDaniel said during his season-ending news conference that he and Ross plan to meet in the coming days.
“We are getting together later in the week to discuss what needs to be discussed,” McDaniel said. “We both share the sentiment that we’re not where we want to be, and in this business you have to have a plan and a plan of action to improve that play. I think those discussions are very important and healthy, and I think the fan base is counting on that to occur.”
Harbaugh, 63, has a regular-season record of 180-113 (a .614 percentage) and is 13-11 in the postseason, including a Super Bowl victory in the 2012 season. In 11 of his 18 seasons, his teams had double-digit victories. In 12 seasons, they reached the playoffs. Four times, they reached the AFC Championship Game.
The Ravens were 8-9 this season, missing the playoffs for the first time in four years because of a late missed field-goal attempt in a 26-24 loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the season finale.
Post staff writer Joe Schad contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Could Dolphins turn to fired John Harbaugh to replace Mike McDaniel?
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