John Harbaugh Has High Praise For Todd Monken

The Cleveland Browns became the butt of many jokes after they named Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken their head coach. His name didn’t surface much in the league-wide game of head coach musical chairs, but the Browns zeroed in on him and named him the head coach over Jim Schwartz, Nathan Scheelhaase, and a handful of other notable candidates.

Monken may not have been the sexiest candidate, but his experience is undeniable, and he even spent a year as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator in 2019 before leaving to win two National Championships as Georgia’s OC prior to his Ravens tenure. His experience is undeniable, and many former colleagues and players have plenty of incredible things to say about him, including former Ravens and current New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh.

Harbaugh had high praise for his former OC and believes it was his time, and he’ll do well.

“Todd is an outstanding coach. He has worked his way up and paid his dues. He was invaluable in what we did the past three years in Baltimore. He deserves this opportunity. And I believe he will be successful. Todd is a good friend. I wish him all the best with the Browns,” Harbaugh said.

some high praise from Coach Monken's long-time colleague 🙌 pic.twitter.com/vBBQheeyYC

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 29, 2026

It’s hard to believe Monken is just now getting his first head coaching opportunity at 59 after so many years as a proven offensive innovator. In recent years alone, he led Georgia to a pair of national titles and helped guide Lamar Jackson to a second MVP award in 2023, as well as the single best season of his career in 2024.

Cleveland had the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL in 2024 and was barely any better in 2025, so it’s reassuring that the Browns opted to hire somebody with proven offensive acumen. It will be interesting to see who Monken hires beside him to help lead the defense now that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will likely be leaving after getting passed over for the head coaching gig.

Browns fans may not be on board with this hire yet, but there are plenty of reasons to believe it could work out great as long as they are able to figure out the quarterback situation.