Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh made it clear he wants to remain in his current position, speaking publicly for the first time about his job status following Sunday's playoff loss.
The Ravens issued a statement on Dec. 21 saying Harbaugh would continue as head coach next season and that he and the team were working to extend his current contract, which expires after the 2019 season.
However, eight NFL teams are looking for a new head coach, and several of those teams have interest in Harbaugh, according to numerous reports. It has been reported that teams may be willing to trade for Harbaugh this offseason or wait for Harbaugh to become available after next season if he does not sign an extension.
Following Sunday's game, Harbaugh was asked if there was any uncertainty about where he would coach next season.
"I don't believe so," Harbaugh said. "There's a Bible verse that basically says, 'Make no oath.' No one can say what tomorrow's going to bring, other than God-willing. Deo volente. Those are the two Latin words I know, but those are the two most important ones.
"We'll see what God has in store, but I have every expectation and every plan to be here as long as the Ravens want me here, and I believe they want me here. I think that's been made clear by management to me over the last few weeks."
This was Harbaugh's 11th season with the Ravens, and seven of those seasons have ended with playoff berths, including the 2012 season when Baltimore won the Super Bowl. After making the playoffs in six of Harbaugh's first seven seasons, the Ravens ended a three-year playoff drought by winning six of their last seven games to claim the AFC North title for the first time since 2012.
Harbaugh has a 104-72 career record during the regular season, and his 10 playoff wins since 2008 rank second only to Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, who has 13 playoff victories during that time.
The future is bright with Lamar Jackson in place as an exciting, young talent under center and a lot of rookies making huge impacts this season. The team rallied under Harbaugh, and the head coach said it was the best team he's ever coached in terms of unity.
"Like I said a couple of weeks ago, or last week, I love everybody in the organization," Harbaugh said. "It's great people. I expect to go forward with that as long as that's what they want to do, and I do believe that's what they want to do. Let's roll."
