Jesse Minter Keeping Mentors Close in Hiring Father to Ravens

Jesse Minter wouldn't have ever reached his current heights without a few key luminaries; among those stand the Harbaugh brothers for giving him chances to rise through the game's ranks and the Baltimore Ravens' front office for taking a swing on the first-time head coach. They're up there with the most important figures in the league, let along his own recent career progression, but by Minter's own admission, no influence can contend with his father.

Long before he was taking questions at the Ravens' podium, elder Minter Rick was the member of the family with the highest standing in the world of football. But now that his son has the luxury to overhaul the organization's sideline staff, he's continued to include the first coach to offer him the springboard to leap off on his own.

The Ravens' lead coach will continue keeping his dad on his payroll amidst his most drastic career move yet, continuing a theme that's persisted all throughout the 2020s. While Jesse's split the past four years between coordinating the defenses for the Michigan Wolverines and the Los Angeles Chargers, Rick's remained at his side in a slew of "senior defensive analyst" roles, and the head coach is excited to keep that pattern going in Baltimore.

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

"It was probably the easiest hire...'Hey, do you want a job with the Ravens?' 'That'd be great,'" he recounted in speaking to the media earlier this week. "When you have the person around who'll always tell you the truth, not necessarily have an agenda and [not] tell you what you want to hear, and knowin that nobody has my best interest more so than my own dad. Whether it's a defensive idea or just an overall, overarching philosophy, just to have that person is special."

Minter's Staff Rebuild

Don't expect the senior Minter to factor into game-to-game operations as much as a usual defensive coordinator, let along his play-calling son.

He'll be in more of an advisory role as someone who's seen it all as a defensive expert and former head coach himself; he spent a decade around the turn of the century at the head of Cincinnati football, one of the first schools that Jesse spent time with as a graduate assistant shortly after Rick's exit, and now he's just one of many new Ravens to fill the pecking order beneath the head coach and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

Former Cincinnati Head Coach Rick Minter — OCT. 3, 1998: Cincinnati coach Rick Minter looks dejected during the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to Louisville. Minter | Sam Upshaw Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK

"The first half of my career, there was nobody more influential than my dad," he said during his own introductory press conference with Ravens media. "He was the first person I worked for out of college, I was an intern for him, obviously we've been together at quite a few stops."

Minter evidently values remaining grounded by surrounding himself with those whose opinions and experience he values, and given that the multiple generations of Minters are going on a half-decade continuing some version of this general arrangement, it's fair to assume that they've got their method down pat.

And consider this another extension of the Ravens' trust in handing the staff over to Minter. They revealed their interest in a fresh voice in interviewing as many diverse candidates as they did during the hiring process, and now that the head coach has filled out all of the major slots, they'll do whatever he needs in making his acclimation to the coaching lead as easy as they can.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!