After the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens and won the AFC North, Baltimore Head Coach John Harbaugh was let go by the team. After 18 years of intense battles with Mike Tomlin's unit, that coaching battle is officially over for now. The next chapter of this heated division rivalry will have a new man leading the charge. Despite all that, there is no confirmation that Pittsburgh will have its leader after this run is over, as he could still decide to walk away from the team and get a fresh start somewhere else.
Benjamin B. Braun / Post-Gazette
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh meet near midfield to shake hands after a professional football game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
Harbaugh's firing immediately makes him one, if not the most attractive option for teams to hire in this cycle. He has already had numerous teams request interviews with him, and some teams that have yet to fire their coach that are checking in on him. One of those teams, however, is waiting to see what happens with the Steelers before making a decision, as reported by Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
"What was expected to be a long and drawn-out process for the Giants just got longer and more drawn out," Schwartz said. "They are waiting to see what happens in the first round of the playoffs with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers and Matt LaFleur and the Packers. One or both of those respected head coaches could be let go, depending on how their teams fare this weekend. This could end up being a wild ride, with a few monster candidates sorting through all sorts of offers."
Despite all the hype around Harbaugh, the New York Giants are still holding out to see if the Steelers lose in the Wild Card Round and what happens with Tomlin if that happens. Of course, the former Ravens coach already has a ton of interest, so there will be lots of time for him to go through the interview process with every team, which means New York can see what happens on Monday Night Football before making a decision.
Benjamin B. Braun / Post-Gazette
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin meets with the then-New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll after a game in Pittsburgh.
Tomlin has been linked to the Giants for a while now, so this is no surprise at all. Like Harbaugh, he would instantly be the most attractive head coach candidate if he were to leave Pittsburgh, so he would also have a lot of interviews to go through. What seemed like a very underwhelming class of head coach candidates will quickly become an overwhelming one if he enters the mix.
Steelers' Tomlin's Comparison With Ex-Ravens Harbaugh
These last few seasons have revealed a lot about both men. For starters, Harbaugh seemed to have lost the locker room, as many players dodged questions about how they felt about him in recent weeks. Meanwhile, many Steelers players defended Tomlin publicly through the media. One man seemingly lost the locker room, and the other didn't. That is huge for teams evaluating which one is better.
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Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh (left) and Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) greet each other near midfield after a professional football game in Pittsburgh, PA.
However, Tomlin's teams have not done well in the playoffs at all in recent years. If he becomes available, that most likely means the Steelers lost in the Wild Card Round again. The Ravens have at least made the AFC Championship games since the turn of the decade, so Harbaugh's ability to win in the postseason would give him an edge.
At the end of the day, both coaches are highly decorated men that have won a Super Bowl and are locks to make the Hall of Fame. It is also fair to say that all parties involved could benefit from a change of scenery. The Ravens have already made that move, and the Steelers could soon. If that happens, the coaching carousel will be very interesting.
What do you think about the Giants waiting for the Steelers' Wild Card game before committing to a coach? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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