As soon as the Detroit Lions announced that they had parted ways with offensive coordinator John Morton, the Baltimore Ravens swooped in with even bigger news that has re-shaped the entire coaching cycle for the 2026 offseason.
Per multiple sources, the Ravens have fired 18-year head coach John Harbaugh after the team failed to make the postseason. It was a year plagued with injuries for the Ravens, and it was also a season filled with speculation about whether the relationship between Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson could be salvaged.
Harbaugh is likely to become the top head coaching candidate on the market, surpassing Kevin Stefanski in that pool. That's excellent news for the Lions, who should be taking a hard look at Stefanski as a potential Morton replacement headed into the offseason.
Harbaugh could take heat off of Stefanski HC search
With Harbaugh now on the market, there's going to be a ton of teams with vacancies hitting his line - and, potentially, some soon to be firings that open up a spot for him. NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that the Miami Dolphins are monitoring Harbaugh's firing. The issue there, of course, is that they currently employ Mike McDaniel.
Clearly, he's a hot name. And now, Stefanski finds himself a distant second behind a Super Bowl-winning, multi-time division championship winning coach on the market. This could swing his preference from wanting to land another head coaching job to being okay with accepting a demotion to offensive coordinator.
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The Lions' opening at OC should be appealing to Stefanski, who is likely itching to get back into an offense with an established run game and quarterback. Detroit has work to do with its trenches, and it's not worth getting into that conversation for the up-teenth time right now, but it's clear they plan to do so. Once they do, they once again become a formidable force within the NFL on offense.
Stefanski should absolutely consider the OC role open now with the Lions, and the Lions should be seeking to interview the former two-time Coach of the Year. With Harbaugh becoming the new, shiny toy on the market, Stefanski may have no choice but to take an interview to work just behind Dan Campbell.