If the reports of John Harbaugh’s departure from Baltimore at season’s end are true, it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t want to go out having exhausted every avenue.
The emotional pull most coaches have to a quarterback who won them a Super Bowl is understandable. The Giants have sacrificed a half-decade worth of rebuilding time and equity just to maximize the final years of Eli Manning’s career. The Eagles would have likely refused a Brinks truck full of draft picks if anyone came after Nick Foles with a more enticing offer than Cleveland made. And so, the Ravens have pinballed through some of the most difficult seasons in Joe Flacco’s career without making a serious run at his replacement.