Giants Hire Chris Horton As Special Teams Coordinator
Earlier this week, the Ravens reportedly blocked their former head coach, John Harbaugh, from interviewing special teams coordinator Chris Horton for a potential lateral move to New York. We had mentioned that Baltimore’s stance may change upon the arrival of a new head coach, and with Jesse Minter getting hired the day after Horton was blocked, that change in stance must have occurred. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Horton will join Harbaugh’s new staff in New York as assistant head coach/special teams coach.
A former special teams coach himself, it makes sense to see Harbaugh prioritizing his old special teams crew in Baltimore. Horton got his start in coaching as a quality control assistant at his alma mater, UCLA, following a short-lived career in the NFL. After participating in the Ravens’ coaching internship program, Horton was offered the option to stay in Baltimore as the team’s assistant special teams coach.
When Jerry Rosburg, who had served as the Ravens special teams coordinator/assistant head coach since Harbaugh’s first year in Baltimore, announced his retirement in 2019 (before making a short return for the 2022 Broncos), Horton stepped into the coordinator role. Horton’s tenure as special teams coordinator saw the tail ends of the careers of the team’s well-established “Wolf Pack,” featuring kicker Justin Tucker, punter Sam Koch, and long snapper Morgan Cox.
Cox was allowed to walk in free agency in favor of a cheaper, undrafted option, while Koch and Tucker’s performances started to decline in their final years, though an off-the-field scandal really spelt the end for Tucker. The Ravens have since drafted replacements for Tucker and Koch. Jordan Stout was considered a middling punter in need of a big contract year coming into this year, but a breakout season led to All-Pro honors that should help his prospects heading into free agency.
Rookie kicker Tyler Loop was accurate enough in his first season, making 30 of 34 attempts, but part of that success was aided by a league-leading 10 makes from inside the 20-yard line. Loop also struggled from deep, converting an NFL-low one kick over 50 yards. His season-long make of 52 yards was the shortest season-long kick of all 32 teams. In the return game, the Ravens haven’t seen a kickoff or punt returned for a touchdown in either of the past two seasons and have only seen three total in Horton’s seven seasons as coordinator.
It’s hard to gauge Horton’s impact on a special teams unit that has been in full transition throughout his tenure, but the Ravens are obviously some years removed from the All-Pro Tucker years or the return mastery of the late Jacoby Jones. The Ravens were willing to let him go to New York, though, where injuries to Graham Gano led to a game of musical chairs at the kicker position in 2025. The Giants will hope health will bring more stability and reliability to the special teams unit next year under Horton’s leadership.
The initial blocking of Horton’s interview earlier in the week appeared to also cover assistant special teams coordinator Anthony Levine and senior special teams coach Randy Brown. Nothing was reported on either assistant, so it’s yet to be seen whether they’ll follow Horton to New York or perhaps find promotions in Baltimore.
Ravens Blocking Several Giants Interview Requests
The Ravens may have fired John Harbaugh, but they have no intention of letting his top lieutenants follow him to New York.
Baltimore has blocked a lateral move for special teams coordinator Chris Horton, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, preventing him from taking the same position on Harbaugh’s new staff. For the moment, the Ravens are holding onto assistant special teams coordinator Anthony Levine and senior special teams coach Randy Brown, though that could change once they land on a new head coach.
Harbaugh came up as a special teams coordinator, so it is no surprise he wants to bring his special teams assistants to New York. Brown worked with Harbaugh in Philadelphia and joined his original staff in Baltimore as a kicking consultant. Horton got his NFL start in Baltimore in 2014, while Levine was a Ravens special teams ace for a decade before retiring and joining their coaching staff. Levine currently has interest from the Buccaneers in their coordinator position, which would be a promotion that the Ravens cannot block.
The Giants, nonetheless, plan to continue undeterred with their pursuit of Ravens coaches, as well as employees in other roles. The team could submit 20 or more interview requests, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Baltimore may not be able to block all of those requests, which could force individuals to choose between their loyalty to Harbaugh and their loyalty to the Ravens.
Of course, Baltimore’s new head coach may be more willing to let certain coaches go as he fills his staff. Like Harbaugh, he could draw from the ranks of his former team, which could put the Ravens in the same position that the Giants are in right now.
Extra Points: Jets, Ravens, Draft
Some assorted notes from around the NFL…
- The Jets were reportedly interested in free agent centers Mitch Morse and Matt Paradis, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. However, the team never made an offer to either player. Morse ultimately signed with the Bills, while Paradis ended up inking a deal with the Panthers. With the Jets unable to secure either of the top two free agent centers, the front office continues to reach out to other veterans to gauge the market. Mehta notes that the draft could be another way of acquiring a center.
- Ravens special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg is retiring, the team announced. The 63-year-old had been with the organization since 2008, winning one Super Bowl championship along the way. Rosburg previously served in the same role with both the Falcons and Browns. Assistant Special Teams coach Chris Horton is expected to take over, with Rosburg briefly sticking around as a consultant. “I will stay on for a period of time to be a resource for Chris and anyone else during that transition,” said Rosburg. “I have a lot of plans. Me and my plans center around my family. I don’t want to miss as many hockey games and volleyball games as I have. Our days are limited on this earth, and there are some things that I’m missing I don’t want to miss anymore.”
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Rashan Gary wasn’t active in Michigan’s pro day. According to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), the potential top-five pick only weighed in and didn’t participate in any drills or testing. Instead, the running back stuck around to support his teammates. As Pelissero notes, the defensive tackle “crushed the combine,” and he didn’t want to risk his draft stock with a lackluster outing today.