After 17 seasons with the Ravens, Head Coach John Harbaugh is not worried about the process of reaching agreement on his next contract.
Harbaugh's present deal runs through 2025, and the winningest coach in franchise history has always signed an extension before entering the final season of an agreement.
However, Harbaugh said contract negotiations are not at the forefront of his mind as the Ravens begin the early stages of their offseason. He added that he talks to Owner Steve Bisciotti, President Sashi Brown, and General Manager Eric DeCosta on a regular basis.
"I'm happy," Harbaugh said. "However that goes, I trust God, I trust the people I work with every day. They're my friends. But more importantly, we're on a mission together. I'm fired up for it. I don't worry about those kind of things. They take care of themselves."
It doesn't appear Harbaugh's coaching staff will change nearly as dramatically as last offseason, when defensive coaches Mike MacDonald, Anthony Weaver, and Dennard Wilson were hired away.
It remains to be seen if Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken leaves to become a head coach or stays to enter his third season in Baltimore. The Jacksonville Jaguars announced last week that they completed an interview with Monken, and the Las Vegas Raiders have reportedly requested permission to speak with him.
Monken was not one of three candidates the Jaguars scheduled in-person interviews with this week. One of those candidates, Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen, pulled his name out of the running. The other two are former Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh and Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham.
But now that the Jaguars have fired general manager Trent Baalke, it remains to be seen how that shakes up the search.
Harbaugh is proud that members of the Ravens' staff have been coveted in recent years but would be very glad to have Monken remain on staff. The Ravens had the NFL's No. 1-ranked offense and became the first team with more than 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a season.
"It will be very meaningful if, and when, we get Todd Monken back," Harbaugh said. "I'm very hopeful that we will.
"Todd Monken will be a great head coach. He's an old-school football coach with kind of a new school and a great mind. Always creative. He works well with his staff. I'm really excited about 3.0, that iteration of this offense going forward. We found ourselves through the last offseason and this season in terms of how we want to organize the offense and tie it all together."
Harbaugh also said veteran defensive coach Dean Pees will return in some role next season, after joining the staff during this season as a senior advisor to first-year Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr.
"I'm just appreciative of Dean and the job he did," Harbaugh said. "I know Zach feels the same way. That was a good thing to have Dean come back, (it) reconnected us to our roots as far as defense. I think he was a good eye and ear for players and coaches.
"He's interested in continuing in some kind of role. He's at the stage of his life where he's probably not going to do that full-time. He is going to be still connected. He'll still have a role as a consultant for us. That's my plan. That's his plan. And that's good."
Harbaugh Regrets How Failed Goal-Line Sequence Against Bills Played Out
Harbaugh was questioned about a failed sequence during Baltimore's 27-25 divisional playoff loss to Buffalo Bills, when the Ravens had first-and-goal from the 2-yard line but settled for a field goal.
Derrick Henry was stopped for a 1-yard loss on first down. On second down, Lamar Jackson was sacked for a 5-yard loss on a trick play designed for left tackle Ronnie Stanley to be the intended receiver. Jackson's pass on third down was incomplete and Justin Tucker's short field goal made it 14-10 Buffalo late in the second quarter. The Bills answered with another touchdown just before halftime to take a 21-10 lead, and the Ravens never pulled even.
Harbaugh regretted the results and detailed his thoughts on the sequence.
"When you're not successful, the play calling's going to be in question," Harbaugh said. "We question it, too. We ran it the first time, they ran pretty much an all-out blitz and stopped it. You can definitely run three times into an all-out blitz if you want, but that's probably not very smart.
"The second play was an idea to sneak Ronnie out. You can say, 'Well that's a bad call,' but if it works, and he's wide open, it's a great call. Sure, (in hindsight) I'd like to have thrown it on first down, not run the trick play on second down. Now we're in a situation when we're pretty much in a passing situation. That's football. That's the way it goes sometimes. It's disappointing. The play calling is not good if it doesn't work. That's the bottom line. That's how you look at it."
Zay Flowers Not Expected to Have Knee Surgery
Harbaugh gave a health update on Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers, who missed both playoff games with a knee injury. Had the Ravens advanced to the AFC Championship, Flowers may have played.
"Zay Flowers had a great chance to play in this next game," Harbaugh said.
"He should be fine going forward. I don't think it's going to be a surgery in the end, but they haven't determined that for sure yet. If they do it, they'll probably just do it to kind of be sure."
DeCosta and Harbaugh Shares Thoughts on Eddie Jackson, Marcus Williams, Dionte Johnson
There are ups and downs in a long season, and the Ravens dealt with the suspension and release of wide receiver Diontae Johnson, the release of safety Eddie Jackson, and the benching of safety Marcus Williams.
DeCosta shared his thoughts on Johnson and Jackson.
On Johnson: "We looked at it as a chance to strengthen a position group. We did our homework, we understood the risks and the rewards. It was a relatively inexpensive deal for us to make. We knew it wasn't going to be a 100% slam dunk. It didn't work out. The downside might be that the guy would be unhappy with his role potentially."
On Jackson: "Sometimes when you add veteran players, you really as a GM, you've got to figure out is this player going to be happy in his role. I think Eddie is a two-time Pro Bowl safety. It comes down to, probably I failed. This is a guy who really didn't want to accept his role as backup safety and a special teamer. I understand that. Eddie just wasn't happy with his role. He wanted to play football. He got probably distracted at times. I appreciate Eddie. I think he's got a lot of football left. I wish him the best. Hopefully he has a good situation next year where he flourishes."
Harbaugh said Williams remained a professional when he was benched in favor of Ar'Darius Washington.
"It was a tough season for Marcus, but I admired the way he handled it," Harbaugh said. "He was a team guy through and through. His attitude was positive right to the end. He supported his teammates. That's kind of a measuring stick for me as a man, how he handled it. I'll be forever proud and grateful for that."
