Baltimore and Harbaugh had seemed close to a breakup years ago, during a three-plus season lull that followed the tremendous success experienced at the onset of his tenure.<\/p>\n
In his first season, 2008, Harbaugh led the team all the way to the AFC Championship Game with a rookie Joe Flacco<\/a>, kicking off a five-year stretch of consecutive playoff berths that was finally concluded with a Super Bowl victory.<\/p>\n Following an 8-8 season during a Super Bowl hangover in 2013 and a loss in the Divisional Round the following campaign, the Ravens failed to reach the postseason from 2015-17.<\/p>\n Heading into a Week 10 bye week at 4-5 in 2018, a split felt imminent. Only Harbaugh then handed the reins to Jackson, at the time a first-round rookie, and the Ravens rattled off wins in six of their last seven to take the AFC North.<\/p>\n In partnership with Jackson, Harbaugh and the Ravens re-emerged as yearly threats, missing the playoffs only in the 2021 season and this most recent one. Still, each of those postseason trips ended in disappointment, seemingly capped by a Divisional Round ceiling outside the ’23 campaign.<\/p>\n Jackson has won two MVPs, but he dealt with a string of injuries from 2021-22 that contributed to murkiness over a potential extension in the 2023 offseason. One was eventually struck<\/a>, though questions about his place in Baltimore were again raised during an injury-plagued downturn for the Ravens this season. He also declined to address his future<\/a> immediately following the season-ending loss to the Steelers.<\/p>\n That will now be something for general manager Eric DeCosta and another head coach to answer.<\/p>\n