For the first time since 2008, the Baltimore Ravens have a new head coach.
The team announced on Thursday it had agreed to a deal with Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Minter, 42, was as an assistant coach from 2017-20 on John Harbaugh’s staff for the Ravens. Baltimore fired Harbaugh on Jan. 6, concluding his 18-year run with the franchise that had ranked as the second-longest active tenure among head coaches.
‘I am truly honored to serve as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens,’ Minter said in a release. ‘This is an organization whose values, culture and tradition of excellence reflect everything I believe about the game of football and how it should be played.’
Under Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, Minter orchestrated a defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL in 2024 after ranking 24th just a year earlier. Last season, Los Angeles finished in the top 10 in both scoring defense (ninth) and yards allowed (fifth).
Ravens wrap up their search
Minter quickly became one of the most in-demand coaches on the interview circuit, with the first nine teams to have vacancies this offseason – prior to the Buffalo Bills’ dismissal of Sean McDermott on Tuesday – all requesting to speak with him.
Minter met with the Ravens on Wednesday. Earlier on Thursday, he withdrew from consideration for the Cleveland Browns’ opening, according to multiple reports.
The Ravens ran an extensive search, interviewing 16 candidates before the hire materialized.
In Baltimore, Minter will be tasked with leading two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson – with whom owner Steve Bisciotti said he wants to reach a contract extension before free agency – and the rest of a talented roster that tied for the most Pro Bowl selections with six. The Ravens are coming off just their third losing season in the last 18 years.
‘Jesse is a strong leader who possesses a brilliant football mind and a spirit that will resonate with our players and fanbase alike,’ Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a release. ‘Jesse comes from a football family, with success at every level of the sport, and we are confident that he is the right coach to lead the Ravens forward.’
What’s next for Chargers after Minter leaves?
Minter’s exit from Los Angeles means the Chargers will have two offseason shifts at coordinator. The team fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and lined up former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel as his replacement.
Minter’s departure was one that Jim Harbaugh had seen coming.
“It’s really not so much a question of ‘if.’ We’ve known that. It’s a question of ‘when,’ the product that Jesse has established as the head coach of the defense, that’s so good that we know it’s a matter of ‘when.’ So (we’re) prepared for that,’ Harbaugh said last week.
Chargers players react to Minter’s hiring by Ravens
Minter received an outpouring of support on social media from several Chargers players, including safeties Derwin James and Tony Jefferson.