Eric DeCosta Provides Details on Ravens HC Search

The last time the Baltimore Ravens had to look for a new head coach nearly two decades ago, they cast a wide and diverse net and explored a multitude of options before landing on John Harbaugh in 2008.

They took the same approach to find his replacement after parting ways with the Super Bowl-winner following an underwhelming 2025 and ultimately landed on a familiar face who was once an assistant on Harbaugh's staff, Jesse Minter.

At Minter's introductory press conference, general manager Eric DeCosta, who spearheaded the search and made the final decision after getting the stamp of approval from owner Steve Bisciotti, peeled back the curtain on how he conducted the thorough search and how it was a collective effort in many ways.

GM Eric DeCosta on the hiring process: pic.twitter.com/XSAvPkDGlH
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 29, 2026

"Steve challenged us a few weeks ago to find the next coach who would be here for 18 years, and if we do our job, I won't be here, which is great," DeCosta said with a laugh. "We spent two weeks; it was a sprint to the finish. We talked to at least 20 candidates in different formats – [via] Zoom, in person, on the phone. [I'm] really, really proud of the process, and it became apparent quickly that Jesse Minter was the right guy to be our next head football coach."

Minter checked every box the Ravens were looking for in their next head coach, from his leadership to high football intelligence and acumen for the game overall, as well as his "great humility" and ability to resolve problems and strategize. He got his first gig in the NFL with the Ravens nearly a decade ago as an administrative assistant for the defense in 2017 and worked his way up to defensive backs coach in 2020.

Before departing for his first defensive coordinator job at the college level, Minter was part of the innovative brain trust, along with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, that modernized the Ravens' defensive scheme into the dynamic blueprint for success that it has become.

After helping Jim Harbaugh win a college football national title at the University of Michigan, he followed him back to the NFL and took the Los Angeles Chargers defense from one of the worst units in the league to an elite one over the past two seasons, and the Ravens are hoping he can do the same in Baltimore after a downtrodden last past couple of years on that side of the ball.

"We've enjoyed watching his defenses play, and he started at the bottom, and now he's here," DeCosta said. "I think that's great. I'm so happy to work with him as a partner over the coming months and coming years, and I think this is a great day for the Baltimore Ravens."

Player Feedback played a factor in final decision

Head coach Jesse Minter and current Baltimore Ravens players post press conference at Under Armour Performance Center. — Jan 29, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Jesse Minter and current Baltimore Ravens players post press conference at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images | Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images

In his first time addressing the media in nearly a decade, in what was a Ravens end-of-season presser to remember, Bisciotti made national headlines when he said that his players had 'no power' when it came to the search and final decision for the team's next head coach.

However, what got overlooked was how he expounded on that answer by saying that while they didn't necessarily get to be part of the executive decision when it came to who got the job, several of them were part of the vetting process and their input factored into Minter being hired.

"Their opinion was valuable, very helpful."

GM Eric DeCosta on players being involved in the hiring process: pic.twitter.com/7zTMfGTQN0
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 29, 2026

"We tried to pick a small group of veteran players that had inquired about being a part of the process," DeCosta said. "They had the opportunity to come into Baltimore or be a part of a Zoom. We had both. We had some guys on Zoom, and we had some guys that were in person, and they met with all the finalists."

The opinions of their established and experienced players were both "valuable and very helpful" to the team's top brass when it came to the process of finding the next head coach and will continue as they look to fill out his staff, particularly at the two vacant coordinator positions.

"I can also say that some of our players are still involved in the process and will be involved with the process as it pertains to coordinators and other hires as well, which we're excited about," DeCosta said.

Consulting active players on the team doesn't just boost morale and give them a semblance of empowerment and exclusivity in major decisions that directly impact them and their livelihoods. It provides those decision makers with additional vantage points and data that could help them lock in on the right candidate, which is who they believe they have in Minter.

"They came at it from a different perspective as players," DeCosta said. "The feedback that we got from the candidates was fantastic. I think the questions and the approaches that they attacked it with were very thoughtful and helpful, I think, in the overall decision."

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