Baltimore Ravens Hire New Head Coach To Mark Fresh Era In Bengals Rivalry

A new head coach in Baltimore for the first time in almost 20 years.

Jun 16, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter watches during organized team activities at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are facing a new head coach of the Baltimore Ravens twice a season. The Ravens officially hired Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter on Thursday to start their new era after the end of John Harbaugh's run at the helm.

Minter was an assistant in Baltimore earlier this decade after spending four seasons on Harbaugh's staff, working his way up from a defensive assistant in 2017 to defensive backs coach in 2020. He then went to Michigan as their DC under Jim Harbaugh and followed him to L.A. in 2024, where he led the ninth-best scoring defense in the NFL this past season.

"I am truly honored to serve as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens," Minter stated in a Ravens press release. "This is an organization whose values, culture, and tradition of excellence reflect everything I believe about the game of football and how it should be played."

He enters a rivalry that John Harbaugh coached in for 18 seasons and has high expectations to get the Ravens back to the top of the AFC North. Cincinnati is hoping patience helps it achieve the same goal by sticking with Zac Taylor.

"Jesse is a strong leader who possesses a brilliant football mind and a spirit that will resonate with our players and fanbase alike," Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta stated. "Jesse comes from a football family, with success at every level of the sport, and we are confident that he is the right coach to lead the Ravens forward."

Minter's dad Rick was the head coach at the University of Cincinnati during his long career, and now Jesse gets to coach games in the Queen City as a program's lead man. The 42-year-old is a young pivot for Baltimore as Cincinnati awaits the new head coach options for Cleveland and Pittsburgh in the rest of the division.

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