More Talk Ravens HC John Harbaugh May Hold Off On Extension, Finish Out Contract

Ian Rapoport reports that the Ravens are still planning to get a contract extension in place for HC John Harbaugh after the season and his agent was actually in town to speak with the team last week.

However, Rapoport says that there’s a “real possibility” Harbaugh elects to coach next year without signing a new deal.

This would give Harbaugh and new Ravens GM Eric DeCosta another year to see how they mesh before deciding on a long-term commitment. Beyond that, Harbaugh’s stock could be quite high and give him a lot of leverage in contract talks with the Ravens or another team.

This fits with a report from Peter King, who reported earlier in the week that there’s a “real chance” Harbaugh will not sign an extension with the Ravens, despite the team recently announcing that they plan to negotiate a new deal.

According to King, Harbaugh could instead play out the final year of his contract and take his chances on the open market in 2020 or sign back with Baltimore.

King compared the situation to Joe Flacco betting on himself and ultimately winning the Super Bowl back in 2012.

King does, however, believe Harbaugh would like to remain in Baltimore, but he also “wouldn’t be heartbroken if he had to move on.” The expectation from King is that Harbaugh would likely be valued greater by another team.

Reports from the past month or so mentioned that the Ravens and Harbaugh were expected to part ways. However, the Ravens somewhat surprisingly announced that Harbaugh was going to return next year and they were opening extension talks.

Some questioned the timing of the announcement from the team, given that it was posted out of nowhere on a Friday.

It’s still possible an interested team could reach out to the Ravens about a potential trade for their head coach, but it’s been a while since a move like this was made.

Harbaugh, 56, began his NFL coaching career with the Eagles in 1998 as their special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach. He spent 10 years in Philadelphia before he was hired as the Ravens’ head coach in 2008.

During his nine years with the team, Harbaugh has led them to a record of 103-72 (58.9 percent), which includes six playoff appearances and one Super Bowl championship in 2012.

We’ll have more regarding Harbaugh as the news is available.