After 18 years, Ravens HC John Harbaugh was fired by Baltimore on Tuesday. While the move didn't come as a surprise after the Ravens' season-ending loss to the Steelers, it sent shock waves throughout the rest of the league.
Teams that once had other ideas to fill their head coaching vacancies now know Harbaugh is available. And teams that don't even have head coaching jobs technically open yet may want to hire him.
It's notable from a Chargers' standpoint for a few reasons. Obviously, Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on a human level will likely feel a certain way about his brother getting fired. But past that level, there are plenty of other ripple effects this move could have in Los Angeles.
John Harbaugh's firing could produce a variety of ripple effects for the Chargers organization.
One of them feels very obvious. Chargers DC Jesse Minter feels like a lock to be interviewed by Baltimore. Both Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero mentioned Minter as a possible candidate for the Ravens job following Harbaugh's firing last night.
Minter was with the Ravens for four seasons and was ultimately promoted to be their defensive backs coach in 2020. For a Baltimore squad that is desperately in need of a defensive retooling, it's easy to see why he'd make sense.
But the under the radar name in regards to Harbaugh is Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander. Alexander worked in the Ravens organization for 20 years and was eventually promoted to assistant director of player personnel in 2009. It was a role he held for 10 years before becoming the Director of Player Personnel with the Jets.
Harbaugh has enough sway to install a general manager choice of his own. A similar process played out in Los Angeles when his brother poached Joe Hortiz from the Ravens. Wherever he gets hired, Alexander or other Chargers front office members who came over from Baltimore will certainly be under consideration to join him. Chargers Director of Player Personnel Strategy Corey Krawiec came over directly from Baltimore with Hortiz.
Outside of the potential organizational brain drain, Los Angeles could also be rewarded draft picks if Alexander is paired with Harbaugh elsewhere.
The CBA calls for two or three compensatory draft selections to be given to teams with minority coaches/executives who are promoted to higher positions in other organizations. The loss of Alexander would be tough for the Chargers, but they'd at least be rewarded in that regard.
Harbaugh will be a focus for every team with a coaching vacancy in the league. But with the obvious connections mentioned between him, the Ravens, and several Los Angeles front office/coaching staff members, he's also necessary to monitor from a Chargers standpoint.