How John Harbaugh Tried To Pry Todd Monken Away From Cleveland Browns Job

Harbaugh and Monken had spent three years together on Baltimore's coaching staff.

Jul 27, 2024; Owings Mill , MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken walks the field during the afternoon session of training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center, Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The pursuit of a new head coach in Cleveland was never going to be an easy task to manage.

After weeks of in-depth interviews that included multiple rounds of meetings and extensive homework for its candidates, the Cleveland Browns ultimately landed their guy to take over this team in 2026. That man happens to be the former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, Todd Monken.

While Monken wasn’t the fan favorite to land the job, the surprise surrounding his hiring stems from the original speculation that he would follow his former head coach John Harbaugh to New York. Harbaugh agreed to be the Giants’ next head coach weeks ago, and the two were heavily linked following that move.

New reports have surfaced after an interview with Harbaugh that he had indeed attempted to bring the former offensive coordinator with him to his next stop in East Rutherford. 

Harbaugh admitted he tried to talk Monken out of Cleveland's opening

Here’s what Harbaugh had to say in his conversation with NJ Advanced Media regarding his connections with Todd Monken.

“I tried to talk him out of it… that’s my job, right?” 

“I really thought he was coming with us, but Cleveland was in there all along,” Harbaugh shared. 

“He’d been there before in 2019 as the offensive coordinator, so they knew him and he wanted this opportunity. He got it, and I’m happy for him. I’m really proud of him, but we’ve got to go to work.”

It’s great to hear such high praise for Monken from his former head coach—especially since this marks Monken’s first shot as an NFL head coach. His Baltimore offense was a key selling point to Cleveland, and with the Browns needing a major offensive boost, the pairing makes perfect sense.

Monken’s time with Baltimore saw the team lead the league in a few major offensive categories, including 1st in total yards, 3rd in scoring, as well as 1st in rushing during the 2024 season. In 2025, Monken's offense took a slight step back after injuries rattled the team, finishing 2nd in rushing yards, 16th in total yards while totaling the 11th most points in the league, according to StatMuse.

His quarterback Lamar Jackson reached career highs last season, which is one aspect of his coaching that Browns fans are hopeful will translate to their young quarterback in Shedeur Sanders. The Browns will need Sanders to develop faster this offseason in order to compete in 2026.

Todd Monken recently brought over a few former Ravens coaches and assistants to Cleveland to join his staff, those being former run game coordinator Travis Switzer, offensive line coach George Warhop, pass game coordinator Danny Breyer, and offensive analyst Ian Kolste.

It’s safe to say that with time, Cleveland’s offense should see improvement under Monken, and with the 2026 NFL Draft only a few months away, they will look to use their two first round picks to boost their offense, giving Monken more to work with in his first year with the Browns.