As rumors have been swirling around John Harbaugh, connecting him to a variety of open head coaching roles, there is no doubt his interest will come with his own requirements. After Harbaugh was shockingly fired by the Baltimore Ravens, he will be a hot name on the market, but he does come with a reported list of prerequisites.
Cleveland Browns reporter Tony Grossi would join ESPN Cleveland and lay out what Harbaugh is looking for from a team to be at least interested in the role. This includes a set number for his contract, a budget for his coaching staff, control over the roster, and his picking his own general manager.
“I talked to a league insider who speculates on what he’s heard about Harbaugh’s prerequisites to even be interested in your team,” Grossi said on Friday morning. “$20 million a year. 10 million dollar assistant coach budget. Total authority over the roster. And also would like to select his own guy to lean on, a personnel guy.”
.@TonyGrossi has found out what John Harbaugh's requirements are to be interested in his next HC job:
– $20 million per year
– $10 million staff budget
– Total authority over the roster
– Would like to select his own GMWould you do this if you're the Browns? pic.twitter.com/fvswssVSjF
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) January 9, 2026
The four definite candidates for John Harbaugh
With the abundance of success Harbaugh has had, this could be fine for some, but there could be other teams that might pause in interest if he wants this much. Grossi would be asked about the amount of control over the roster, and since his focus is on the Browns, he would mention how a head coach's involvement in that way would be vastly different.
“Yes, which would be a total change in this structure here,” Grossi said when asked if Harbaugh wants more control over the roster than he had in Baltimore. “I think there are four definite candidates for Harbaugh to end up with. Cleveland, now, is fourth. Miami, the Giants, and Atlanta.”
Grossi would list the Browns, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons as four candidates for Harbaugh, though Miami could be at a disadvantage. The Dolphins would hire Green Bay Packers' Jon-Eric Sullivan on Friday morning instead of Los Angeles Chargers' Chad Alexander, who has a close relationship.
It remains to be seen where Harbaugh ends up.
