John Harbaugh has agreed to a contract extension with the Ravens, with some more details to be worked out. Chris Mortensen reported early Saturday afternoon that Harbaugh, who has won a Super Bowl with the Ravens, has worked out an extension to stay in Baltimore for the future. The extension comes at the right time, as Harbaugh was scheduled to become a coaching free agent at the end of the 2019 season. This also ends any speculation that Harbaugh will be traded this offseason.
Ravens and coach John Harbaugh have agreement in principle on a contract extension, according to a source close to negotiations. Harbaugh has one year remaining on existing deal.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 19, 2019
Harbaugh’s season started out poorly and has fans wondering if he was going to lose his job. He inserted Lamar Jackson in Joe Flacco’s place and took the league by storm. The Ravens then finished the year 9-7, after starting out the year 4-5. Even though the season ended in disappointing fashion by the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild Card Weekend, the future looks bright if Lamar Jackson can take a step forward passing the football. Combine that with a still dominant defense and the Ravens could be cooking up something special for the forseeable future.
Joe Flacco on the other hand won’t be back with the Ravens. That didn’t depend whether an extension was agreed to or not. Flacco’s play had dipped over the last couple of seasons as the Ravens were stuck in mediocrity. Once Lamar Jackson’s versatility running the football was added to an already run heavy Ravens offense, Flacco’s time looked to be up with the Ravens, the only team he’s played for since being drafted in 2008.
Even if the Ravens had decided to not bring him back, Harbaugh is highly respected by his peers around the league. He would’ve been the best head coaching candidate around the league had he been a coaching free agent. This news should be a sigh of relief to Ravens fans and should keep them happy looking ahead to 2019 and beyond.
