John Harbaugh is by far the hottest coaching name on the open market. He has completed an official interview with the Atlanta Falcons, had an informal meeting with the New York Giants, and fielded phone calls from the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, and the Arizona Cardinals. Clearly, teams are fighting for his services, viewing him as the biggest fish in the coaching pond.
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Another team that has been linked to Harbaugh is the Miami Dolphins. They recently fired their HC, Mike McDaniel, and are looking for a new coach to lead them into a new era.
However, Cris Carter, who played the final season of his career with the Phins, believes Harbaugh should avoid Miami altogether, citing a lack of a quarterback and culture.
“I’m avoiding Miami [if I were Harbaugh]. No quarterback. And they don’t have the fan support that he’s used to with the Ravens. Like, he would be in for a culture shock in Miami,” Carter said on his podcast, Fully Loaded.
Harbaugh and the Dolphins would certainly make a weird pairing. We have only ever seen him coach in the frigid temperatures of Baltimore, bundled up in layers of clothing. In Miami, we would be seeing Harbaugh in short-sleeve shirts and possibly wearing sunglasses.
Furthermore, as Carter noted, the Dolphins seemingly do not have a quarterback right now. Tua Tagovailoa is coming off a disastrous season, and the team may be looking to get out of his expensive contract. He is still guaranteed around $76.8 million and would carry a dead cap of almost $35 million if he were let go.
As of now, the teams that seem to have the biggest lead in the race for Harbaugh are the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, and Tennessee Titans. Each offers enticing opportunities for the coach to turn things around.
The Falcons are coming off a very disappointing season. They finished 8-9 and tied for the NFC South title but missed the playoffs due to tiebreakers. They do have weapons to work with, though, like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and even Kyle Pitts, who had a late-season coming-out party.
Still, the Giants feel like the favorite to sign Harbaugh. He would get another young QB to mold in Jaxson Dart, along with an exceptional defense that could make the playoffs as soon as next season. Additionally, Cam Skattebo should be healthy, and more rookie talent will be entering the fold. New York feels like a sleeping giant.
Finally, there are the Titans, who could sneak in and steal Harbaugh away. It is a similar situation to the Giants, featuring a young QB in Cam Ward who needs guidance from a veteran head coach. They have good draft picks and more than $100 million in cap space as well. However, Tennessee finished the season tied for the worst record in football and is still a long way from competing.
At the end of the day, any team could still sign Harbaugh. According to Carter, he has been overwhelmed by the number of job opportunities presented to him. It speaks to the exceptional coaching skills he possesses. When the Ravens fired him, players in the locker room were reportedly crying.
