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Steve Bisciotti made his fortune in staffing and recruiting. Now the Ravens owner has one of the NFL’s most attractive job openings in recent memory.

With the firing of longtime head coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens are starting over. And their vacancy will have plenty to offer: a talented offense powered by quarterback Lamar Jackson, a talented defense led by safety Kyle Hamilton and a progressive front office headed by general manager Eric DeCosta.

Who could be named the fourth coach in franchise history? Here are 12 potential candidates as Bisciotti’s search kicks off. (Names are listed alphabetically within categories, and efficiency statistics come from FTN’s regular-season rankings.)

See the full list of coaches the Ravens have requested to interview.

Ravens ties

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak: Kubiak, 38, hasn’t spent any time as a coach in Baltimore, but his father did. Gary Kubiak was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2014, overseeing one of Joe Flacco’s best seasons. Klint Kubiak is in his first year as Seattle’s play-caller and his third coordinator job in five years, after previous stops with the Minnesota Vikings (2021) and New Orleans Saints (2024). Quarterback Sam Darnold earned Pro Bowl honors in his first year in Kubiak’s system, helping lift an offense that finished 19th in efficiency to 10th this year. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, meanwhile, led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards. Kubiak has stressed the need for balance on offense and the ability to beat defenses in multiple ways. He’s also leaned into under-center plays at some of the NFL’s highest rates.

Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter: Minter, 42, is on a path to stardom not unlike Mike Macdonald’s. The son of a longtime college coach, he spent four years on the Ravens’ defensive staff (2017 to 2020) before impressing as a coordinator at Vanderbilt and Michigan. In Minter’s two years with the Chargers, he’s elevated a defense that finished 26th in efficiency in 2023 to ninth and 10th the past two seasons. The Chargers lack star power outside safety Derwin James and outside linebacker Khalil Mack, but they’re generally sound in coverage and capable of stopping the run out of light boxes, an asset in modern football.

Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver: Weaver, 46, started his NFL career in Baltimore and coached under Harbaugh’s defensive staff from 2021 to 2023. Well liked and widely respected, Weaver served as an assistant head coach for his two final seasons with the Ravens. His Dolphins defenses have not excelled, ranking 19th and 24th in efficiency the past two years, but the team’s talent drain and injury woes have not helped. The Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals have already reportedly requested interviews with Weaver.

Rising-star coordinators

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady: Brady, 36, has the enviable job of overseeing quarterback Josh Allen and one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. But he’s made good on the opportunity. The Bills ranked second in offensive efficiency last year, when Allen won his first NFL Most Valuable Player award, and fourth this year despite a limited group of receivers. Brady’s had ups and downs over his NFL career — after impressing as the passing game coordinator for the Joe Burrow-led LSU offense in 2019, he didn’t last even two seasons as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator — but he could be a top candidate this coaching cycle.

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores: Flores, 44, first got on the radar of Ravens fans when his Dolphins defense tormented then-offensive coordinator Greg Roman and quarterback Lamar Jackson with a “Cover 0”-heavy game plan in a 2021 upset. Flores went just 24-25 in his three seasons as Miami’s head coach, but his star has risen again in his three years in Minnesota. Despite questionable talent in their secondary, the Vikings finished second in defensive efficiency last season and third this year, embracing controlled chaos in their approach to blitzing and fooling quarterbacks. Flores was expected to be a hot coaching candidate last season, but he remained in Minnesota. It’s unclear how his pending lawsuit against the NFL and several teams — filed in 2022, after he’d been fired by the Dolphins, it accused the league of being “rife with racism,” especially with its hiring and promotion of Black coaches — might affect his potential candidacy in Baltimore. Former Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick also said Flores “became a dictator” by the end of his tenure with the team.

Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph: Joseph, 53, lasted just two years as the Denver Broncos’ head coach, going 11-21 in 2017 and 2018. But in his return to Denver, he’s reinvigorated the Broncos’ defense. Denver improved from 30th in efficiency in his first year to fourth last year, and the Broncos are No. 5 in Year 3. Joseph has unleashed outside linebackers Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper and defensive linemen John Franklin-Myers and Zach Allen as pass rushers — Denver set a franchise record with 68 sacks this year — while leaning on a secondary led by star cornerback Pat Surtain II to hold up in man coverage. The Broncos have excelled situationally this year, ranking among the NFL’s best third-down and red-zone defenses.

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh: The 49ers don’t have a great great defense this year — they ranked just 26th in efficiency — but Saleh, 46, doesn’t bear much blame. Injuries have done a number on the unit this year, with defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams and linebacker Fred Taylor on injured reserve. Saleh has head coaching experience, too, going 20-36 in his four years leading the New York Jets. While he didn’t serve as a play-caller, their defense collapsed after he was fired just five games into the 2024 season. Saleh is well respected around the league, earning head coaching interviews last year with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys. The Cardinals also have reportedly requested an interview with him.

Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula: Shula, 39, is the latest up-and-comer to come through Sean McVay’s finishing school for aspiring head coaches. The Rams have made a massive jump in his two years on the job, improving from 26th in defensive efficiency in 2024 to fourth despite having one of the NFL’s youngest units. Shula, the son of former Baltimore Colts receiver and NFL coach Dave Shula and the grandson of former Baltimore Colts head coach Don Shula, has climbed the ranks in Los Angeles, rising from assistant linebackers coach to the defense’s play-caller. The Rams have rebuilt one of the league’s fiercest pass rushes in the wake of losing star defensive tackle Aaron Donald to retirement. They’ve also coaxed career-best play out of first-round disappointments like cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and unheralded prospects like undrafted linebacker Nate Landman.

Unattached coaches

Kliff Kingsbury: Until Harbaugh’s firing, Kingsbury’s exit from Washington was the shocker of the coaching cycle. The Commanders and Kingsbury, 46, agreed to part ways Tuesday after two seasons together, including an impressive 2024 in which then-rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels led the franchise to the NFC championship game. Kingsbury has experience working with talented QBs; he was Patrick Mahomes’ head coach at Texas Tech, worked with Kyler Murray as the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach and even overlapped with Caleb Williams during his final season at USC, where Kingsbury was a senior offensive analyst. His offenses, while creative, have tended to burn out quickly. With Daniels limited by injuries, the Commanders finished this year just 23rd in offensive efficiency.

Kevin Stefanski: Stefanski, 43, went just 45-56 over his six seasons as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach before being fired Monday. But his offensive acumen is well regarded in league circles, especially as a run game designer, and his hiring of Jim Schwartz in 2023 helped turn the Browns’ defense into one of the NFL’s best units. A two-time Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year, Stefanski is already in the mix for other openings, including with the New York Giants.

College big shots

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti: Harbaugh, a special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, was an unconventional hire for Bisciotti. Cignetti would be, too. He’s 64 and has never coached in the NFL, both of which can be deal-breakers for NFL owners. But just look at the results (or Google them): After turning around Division II IUP and James Madison, Cignetti has Indiana, one of the least successful Division I programs in college football history, two wins away from a national title. His quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, just won the Heisman Trophy. He has a loyal staff and a no-nonsense attitude. Bisciotti would have to stomach a massive buyout — reportedly $15 million after Cignetti’s latest extension — but if Cignetti’s sick of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness drama, someone in the NFL would welcome him.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning: Like Cignetti, Lanning, 39, has never coached in the NFL. But he won a College Football Playoff national championship as Georgia’s defensive coordinator and is 48-7 in four years at Oregon. The Ducks are 26-2 over the past two seasons and will face Indiana in a CFP semifinal Friday. On offense, Oregon still features elements of the spread attack it helped popularize, but the Ducks can also operate efficiently under center and with multiple tight ends on the field. Their offensive line has developed into one of the country’s best this year despite returning just one starter. On defense, Lanning leans on simulated pressures to help boost his pass rush while maintaining the secondary’s integrity. Oregon’s deep pockets would make prying Lanning away difficult, but his track record of success will attract NFL suitors eventually.