John Harbaugh Responds to Reported Tension With Lamar Jackson: ‘We Love Each Other’

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The Ravens somewhat surprisingly fired John Harbaugh after 18 seasons with the team a couple weeks ago. Shortly after the news, a report came out stating that Harbaugh’s firing stemmed in part from him losing the locker room in Baltimore, including with his quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson hasn’t spoken directly about Harbaugh’s departure, but the coach, who was just named the new head coach of the Giants, talked about his “phenomenal relationship” with Jackson on Tuesday after his introductory press conference.
Harbaugh had only good things to say about his quarterback, whom he worked with for eight seasons.
“Phenomenal relationship with Lamar,” Harbaugh told sports radio station WFAN. “Everything has been absolutely positive. Ask him, he’ll tell you. We love each other. We tell each other we love each other. He’s one of my favorite human beings. We revolutionized offensive football with Lamar Jackson. I don’t know why that doesn’t get written enough about more.”
John Harbaugh says he has a “phenomenal” relationship with Lamar Jackson, whom he calls “one of my favorite human beings.”
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) January 20, 2026
(via @WFAN660) pic.twitter.com/aBRIYkLooA
Harbaugh is the only coach Jackson’s ever known in the NFL. And according to Harbaugh, it sounds like they ended their partnership in Baltimore on good terms, despite the reports.
The Ravens won’t face the Giants in the 2026 season, but they will in 2027, if Harbaugh lasts past one year in New York.
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Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.
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