John Harbaugh set to interview with teams next week: Ranking three best fits for ex-Ravens head coach

The NFL's head coach hiring cycle was turned on its head last week when the Baltimore Ravens fired John Harbaugh.

While the hourglass on his time in Baltimore ran out, Harbaugh instantly became the top candidate on the market for the remaining seven teams looking to fill a head coaching vacancy. His availability has prompted teams to reach out in earnest to set up meetings to pitch the veteran head coach on joining their franchise. Harbaugh has yet to interview for any openings officially, but that will change in a week's time.

Harbaugh told Fox Sports that while plenty of teams have reached out, he's going to narrow his search to roughly three or four teams and then go through the interview process with those franchises. 

As Harbaugh scouts for his next destination in the NFL, let's do the same. Below, we'll rank the three best fits for the head coach.

3. Tennessee Titans

According to The Athletic, Harbaugh is spending the next few days watching film on a couple of young quarterbacks, including Cam Ward. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft flashed down the stretch of his rookie year, albeit during a forgettable 3-14 campaign for Tennessee. If Harbaugh believes Ward can become a true franchise centerpiece, the Titans are an attractive destination because they are effectively a blank slate outside of quarterback.

Yes, the roster needs to be rebuilt, but the organization has the ammunition to jump-start a turnaround. The Titans are armed with a projected $113 million in cap space, the most in the NFL at the moment. On top of that, they have the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the presence of Ward allows them to take one of the best non-QB prospects in the class. When you pair those assets with Ward, it's a strong starting point for Harbaugh.

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2. Atlanta Falcons

A Matt Ryan-John Harbaugh-led Falcons franchise feels like an awfully powerful duo. The franchise has already hired its former MVP quarterback as its first-ever president of football, and now it needs to find a head coach to replace Raheem Morris. If Atlanta were to lure Harbaugh, it would instantly possess one of the top brain trusts in the league, which is something Harbaugh likely recognizes as well.

From a football perspective, the Falcons are a strong candidate on a couple of different fronts. They have loads of star power on the roster. Offensively, Bijan Robinson is one of the best running backs in the NFL, while wideout Drake London is an up-and-coming star at the position in his own right. On defense, the unit features All-Pro cornerback A.J. Terrell and some fascinating first-year players, such as pass rusher James Pearce Jr. and safety Xavier Watts. On top of that, the Falcons play in a very winnable division in the NFC South.

The major sticking point with this possible pairing is the quarterback position, specifically Harbaugh's view of Michael Penix Jr. The former first-round pick is coming off a season-ending ACL tear and has been up and down over the course of his young career. If Harbaugh thinks he can win with Penix, then the Falcons check a ton of boxes.

1. New York Giants

There's a really good argument to be made for the Giants as the top job for Harbaugh. We noted that Cam Ward was one of the quarterbacks Harbaugh is reportedly watching tape on -- well, so is Jaxson Dart. 

New York is a destination that has a young quarterback in place, and Dart flashed a tremendously high ceiling during his rookie campaign. That said, he'll need to be reined in with some of his scrambling, which Harbaugh should view as an easy fix. Once Dart gets that honed in, he'll be quite the dual-threat quarterback, which Harbaugh knows something about after coaching Lamar Jackson to two NFL MVP awards.

But the Giants are not just a good fit because of Dart. The roster has potential, with wideout Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo headlining a young skill-position group, along with a defensive line that features Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Abdul Carter. 

New York also has the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so there is another avenue to bring in an instant-impact player. This is the type of group that can turn around in a hurry with the right coach, like Harbaugh.