Maybe the Cleveland Browns won’t land John Harbaugh, the ex-Ravens coach who was fired by Baltimore this week and who has apparently become the apple of owner Jimmy Haslam’s eye. Harbaugh would bring a wealth of experience to the Browns were he to be the head coach, with a 180-113 record as an NFL head coach, a 13-11 playoff record and a Super Bowl XLVII ring.
Harbaugh is not the kind of coach owner Jimmy Haslam is in the custom of hiring. He’s brought in five coaches in his 14 years as owner, and only one–Hue Jackson–had previous NFL head-coaching experience. And Jackson had just one 8-8 season on his resume. Hiring Harbaugh would represent a departure.
But if Haslam wanted the next best thing to hiring Harbaugh, he might have found it. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Friday afternoon, the Browns are seeing an interview with Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to replace Kevin Stefanski, who was fired after having been by far the longest-tenured coach (six seasons) in Haslam’s time running the Browns.
Browns Could Land a Harbaugh-Adjacent Coach
Browns reporter Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland noted that Harbaugh is said to be seeking a $20 million contract per season, a deal that would put him on par with Andy Reid of the Chiefs as the highest paid coach in the NFL. Minter would be cheaper, no doubt, but he also has the Harbaugh name all over him. The Minter and Harbaugh families go way, way back.
John Harbaugh brought Minter into the NFL back in 2017, first as a defensive assistant, then as the defensive backs coach. John Harbaugh had worked with Rick Minter, Jesse’s father, when Rick Minter was the head coach and John Harbaugh was the special teams coach, back in the mid-1990s.
After four years with John Harbaugh in Baltimore, Minter went back to the college ranks as the Vanderbilt defensive coordinator in 2021, then joined Jim Harbaugh as his defensive coordinator in Michigan in 2022.
Minter’s defense helped win a national championship for the Wolverines, but when Jim Harbaugh bolted to the NFL, Minter went with him as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator. Rick Minter, too, is also in L.A., as a “senior defensive analyst.”
GettyJohn Harbaugh
Browns Have Interviewed 4 Candidates
The Browns hiring Minter, then, could be the best way to get Harbaugh-ish, without paying Harbaugh prices. There’s certainly a desire to pluck someone from the Harbaugh tree, as the team has also sought an interview with the Ravens’ former offensive coordinator, Todd Monken.
The Browns also have finished interviews with two outside candidate interviews, Seahawks defensive coordinator Arden Durde and Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher. Cleveland also had interviews with in-house candidate Tommy Rees, the offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Jesse Minter Chargers Defense No. 10 This Season
According to Pro Football Focus, the Chargers, who run a 3-4 defensive system, were the No. 10-rated defense in the league this season. They were No. 3 last season.
Said Minter about head-coaching buzz around him, as he prepares for the Chargers’ first-round playoff matchup Sunday night against the Patriots: “I think anybody in this profession, competitor, eventually you want to maybe have that opportunity. Right now we’re playing the No. 2 seed Patriots.”
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