Steelers Have A Leg Up On The Ravens As Baltimore Could Be Doomed After John Harbaugh Lands With Giants

Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens created a massive rift in the NFL landscape after the 2025 season as both teams will be looking for new head coaches. The Ravens fired John Harbaugh while Mike Tomlin stepped down as the coach of the Steelers, and this is an important time for both organizations as they are looking for new head coaches for the first time in nearly 20 years. The Ravens are considered by some as the better job opening due to the fact that the franchise has Lamar Jackson in place at quarterback, but a lot could be changing in Baltimore.

Unlike Tomlin, Harbaugh was immediately looking to coach during the 2026 season and began talking to other teams almost right after being let go by Baltimore. He joined the New York Giants, which will be an exciting team in 2026 under Harbaugh with cornerstones at quarterback, left tackle, wide receiver, and a great defensive line. The Giants have plenty of young talent, which could draw away some of Baltimore's key free agents as they reunite with their former head coach.

The key players are at the top of the list, and any of those guys should be considered strong candidates to go join Harbaugh in New York. The Giants need a center, and Tyler Linderbaum is going to be the top center on the market. The Ravens declined his fifth-year option and couldn't get an extension done which has the center set to hit the open market in March.

Other key free agents include two tight ends in Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely. Likely is the more well-known name, while Kolar is a good player who is more of a special teams player and blocking tight end. Alohi Gilman and Dre'Mont Jones should also be mentioned, although those two probably don't have as strong of a connection with Harbaugh as they were traded for recently, but were major contributors for Baltimore late in the season.

In addition to players potentially being "poached" by Harbaugh, he will also look to bring some assistant coaches with him as well. Most coaches are under contract through the 2027 season which means there might be a little bit of a tug-of-war with some guys on whether or not they are allowed to leave the organization. It will be an interesting situation to monitor as there will be plenty of new faces in Baltimore during the 2026 season.

Steelers Do Not Have To Have Same Worries As Ravens

Tomlin reportedly has no interest in coaching during the 2026 season, or potentially ever again. This means Pittsburgh does not have to worry about assistant coaches or pending free agents following him anywhere. There will be more stability in Pittsburgh as the organization should be able to keep whatever assistant coaches they want, while free agents could still sign elsewhere, but they won't be incentivized to follow their former head coach anywhere. 

This could set Pittsburgh up to have the better future, despite the obvious difference at quarterback between the two franchises.

What do you think about the future of the Ravens and the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below!

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