Ravens introduce Jesse Minter: What we learned about new Baltimore coach’s plans

For the first time in nearly two decades, the Baltimore Ravens have a new head coach. Jesse Minter was introduced as the man in charge in Baltimore Thursday, one week after the team officially hired him to replace John Harbaugh. 

Minter, 42, comes from the Los Angeles Chargers, where he was the defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh. Of course, it was John — the other Harbaugh brother — who had been coaching the Ravens for the last 18 years. Minter in Baltimore on John Harbaugh’s staff from 2017-20, rising from defensive assistant to defensive backs coach.

Minter interviewed for several head-coaching jobs, but his time in Baltimore helped push him to return, he said.

“When this job opened, this became the one for me, and this was the one that I wanted,” Minter said. “I did go through the initial process with a lot of different teams, but as I was able to reconnect with people in this organization, and knowing the history, knowing the tradition, knowing the spine of the organization, kind of what it’s built on, there was no better place for me.”

Here are three takeaways from Minter’s introductory press conference.

Minter: Lamar Jackson the ‘best’ player in the NFL

Minter faced Lamar Jackson once as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator — in Week 12 in 2024 — and got a taste of what makes him so special. Jackson, Baltimore’s starting quarterback for the past eight seasons, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Ravens rallied for a 30-23 victory.

Now that he’s coaching Jackson rather than coaching against him, Minter said he’s already had “multiple conversations” with the two-time MVP and is looking forward to more.

“With Lamar, I just look forward to connecting with him, helping him become the best version of himself, creating a team identity that allows him to thrive — which he’s already proven to be an elite, elite, one of the best .. the best player in the National Football League — and put a team around him that allows him to reach that ultimate goal of bringing a Super Bowl back to Baltimore,” Minter said.

Jackson, who turned 29 three days after a season-ending Week 18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, played in just 13 games in 2025. He missed three games with a hamstring injury and another with a back contusion as he dealt with several nagging issues throughout the season. His rushing numbers were down to career lows as a starter, too, and he had one of the NFL’s highest sack rates. However, he still showed moments of brilliance and led the NFL with 13.3 yards per completion.

Talked to John Harbaugh about the opening

Given his connection to both Harbaugh brothers and the fact that he was moving from coaching under one to succeeding the other, Minter talked with John Harbaugh and got some positive feedback.

“Yes, I’ve talked to Coach a couple times,” Minter said. “Tons of respect for John. The 18 years here, the wonderful success, a Super Bowl, probably in the Ring of Honor one day. … We’ve had just a couple of small conversations. He knows how I feel about this place. He did text me, ‘I think they should hire you.’ That was just one of the texts he sent, so I appreciated that. But I love John.”

He also got some advice.

“Really just take the foundation in place and build on it, make it better, put my own spin on it and not try to be John Harbaugh, not try to be Jim Harbaugh, be myself, connect with everybody, make it about all of us, and I really look forward to doing that,” Minter said.

Minter plans to call defensive plays, maximize Kyle Hamilton

Minter said he will call the defense, calling it “a strength of mine.” Though not as numerous as offensive play-calling head coaches, defensive play callers in head-coaching roles do exist; Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald calls the defensive plays and has his team in the Super Bowl, for instance.

“I have a really good process, I feel, to do what I need to do to be ready to call the game, but I also have the ability to be the head coach and to impact the entire roster — the entire team — and make sure that it’s our offense, our defense, our special teams, and that there’s no divide there,” Minter said.

One of the advantages Minter will have when calling plays is Kyle Hamilton. With three All-Pro selections in four years, Hamilton is one of the NFL’s premier safeties, but Minter views him more as “a weapon.”

“He is a positionless defensive player that I would classify as a weapon on defense,” Minter said. “As much as you can do to get a guy like Kyle near the point of attack, I think, is what you try to do as a designer, play caller. I could not be more thrilled to be able to work with Kyle.”

Minter helped Chargers safety Derwin James have two of the best seasons of his NFL career. James had career highs in sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (10) in 2024 and was a second-team All-Pro selection both years under Minter.

Minter’s work in Los Angeles surely appealed to a Baltimore team in need of more defensive discipline and playmaking, too. This season, the Chargers defense was in the top 10 in takeaways (23), sacks (45) and plays of 20-plus yards allowed (44). The Ravens finished tied for 15th, tied for 28th and 31st in those respective categories.

“I think about defense a certain way,” Minter said. “[The players will] learn how I think about it and how I feel about it. I think there’s a fundamental level needed, required to play great defense that we will harp on tremendously, and so I look forward to getting with the guys [for] them to kind of learn my thoughts on how you play great defense.”