The Baltimore Ravens made a surprising decision to fire John Harbaugh as head coach, as the franchise plans to enter a new era next season. There has been speculation that a rift was forming between Harbaugh, quarterback Lamar Jackson, and offensive coordinator Todd Monken throughout the 2025-26 campaign. However, Monken shoots down any notion of there being a feud in Baltimore.
During a guest appearance on the “Ryan Ripken Show,” the 59-year-old offensive coordinator claims that he had a good relationship with Jackson. He also says that he's never seen John Harbaugh have an issue with the eight-year veteran quarterback. Ultimately, Monken is not sure where the speculation of a rift is coming from.
“Lamar and I, to me, had a good relationship,” said Monken. “Could it have been better? Of course. I never… Lamar and I never had an issue. I don't know where that comes from. John, I never saw Lamar and Coach Harbaugh not have a great relationship. I never saw that. I never saw Coach Harbaugh and any of our players not have a great relationship. Never. Not one time. So, any of that would be news to me. But I don't know how people feel.”
#Ravens OC Todd Monken says he had no issues with Lamar Jackson, and from what he saw, no players had issues with John Harbaugh.
“I don’t know where that comes from.”
(via @ryanripkenshow)
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 9, 2026
Several key reporters and NFL Insiders claimed that there was friction between Todd Monken and Lamar Jackson and that John Harbaugh served as a sort of buffer between the two. Speculation grew after some high-end sources reported that Harbaugh's refusal to fire Monken as OC and hire someone else is what led to Ravens' owner Steve Bisciotti to fire the 63-year-old head coach.
But Monken's claim contradicts the previous reports completely. Additionally, ESPN's Adam Schefter also disputed the reports made about the Ravens' decision about Harbaugh. It's a messy situation that's been caused by contradicting reports, but more information in the coming months could come to light to clear things up about Harbaugh's firing.



















