John Harbaugh expected to have real interest in Cleveland Browns coaching vacancy

The Cleveland Browns join 25% of the NFL in their pursuit of a head coach after firing Kevin Stefanski on Monday.

Once the Baltimore Ravens fired John Harbaugh after 18 seasons, the Browns were expected to be interested. They called Harbaugh’s agent to set a meeting, but the 63-year-old will take in the first round of the NFL Playoffs from home before he decides to coordinate interviews.

It’s expected that Harbaugh will have some interest in meeting with the Browns, the team he grew up rooting for as a native of Toledo, Ohio.

The Browns have done their due diligence on Harbaugh. According to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, Harbaugh is expected to have legitimate interest in coaching the Browns, even with Cleveland’s uncertainty at quarterback.

Why would Harbaugh be interested in the Browns?

Remember, Harbaugh and Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who will also meet with the Browns, wanted to draft Shedeur Sanders in the fifth-round of the NFL Draft. Sanders reportedly told Baltimore’s brass that he would not like to sit behind Lamar Jackson and preferred to go to a team that would give the polarizing quarterback a chance to start games.

Sanders passed the eye test during his seven starts with the Browns, but it's no guarantee that the fifth-round pick will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in 2026.

The Browns will have competition for Harbaugh, as the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins will also pursue him. But the Browns will also explore recently-fired Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who served as the wide receiver coach in 2014.

On Thursday, the Browns interviewed their own candidates in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who was runner-up to Bill Belichick for the North Carolina job last season. Rees received ringing endorsements from legendary football coach Nick Saban, and found a bit of success bringing along Sanders in his limited starts.

Harbaugh might want to retain Schwartz and “really likes” Rees – both coordinators that the Browns would like to keep in Cleveland.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam will interview other candidates, as they cast a wide net for the team’s first search since 2020.

But Harbaugh is expected to be a favorite inside the building, as Haslam has admired the ex-Ravens coach for several years as he dominated the AFC North. Harbaugh was 27-8 against the Browns and won the AFC North six times.

The Super Bowl winner built his career on culture, toughness and discipline. He was a special teams coordinator prior to being hired by the Ravens. Harbaugh won nearly 200 games on the backbone of elite defenses and a strong kicker – two things the Browns have seemingly figured out.

From Joe Flacco to Lamar Jackson, Harbaugh leaned on offensive coordinators and defensive coordinators to call plays. He served as a true CEO of the Ravens, and had plenty of success doing so.

If the Browns want Harbaugh, they will need to aggressively pursue him. He will be the top option on the wishlist of every team with a fired head coach. The Browns will be hoping that no teams fire their coach after the first weekend of the NFL Playoffs, as that would add competition.

But Harbaugh grew up in a Browns household. He grew up rooting for the Browns and Cleveland Guardians with his brother, Jim, who coaches the Los Angeles Chargers.

Now, he could have a chance to meet with his childhood team about their head coaching job if he wants it.