John Harbaugh had been the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens for 18 years before the team fired him just days after the 2025 regular season ended. Under Harbaugh, the Ravens made the playoffs 12 times and won the Super Bowl in 2012. But Seattle Seahawks fans know well that many times, a longtime coach simply must go.
Seattle made the same kind of move by removing Pete Carroll from his coaching duties after the 2023 season. That has turned out to be brilliant, as the Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald to replace Carroll, and in the new head coach's second season, the team has gone 14-3 and won the NFC West.