An 18-year coaching rivalry ended when John Harbaugh went from the Ravens to the New York Giants. His rivalry with former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was one of the most intense ones in the NFL. But now that they are no longer coaching against each other, Tomlin joked that their newfound peace had come at the expense of some former Steelers and Ravens who enjoyed the rivalry.
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Just before the kickoff of the Giants’ game against the Cowboys, Tomlin named former Steelers LB Vince Williams in his apology for ending the rivalry.
“There’s some former Steelers and former Ravens who are mad at both of us because we made that peace treaty,” Mike Tomlin said on the NBC broadcast. “Vince Williams, I apologize.”
Well, this apology feels personal for Vince Williams.
Near the end of the first half in the 2020 Steelers-Ravens game, Baltimore’s Gus Edwards was tackled near the goal line. Vince Williams and safety Terrell Edmunds remained on the pile, with Williams holding Edwards’ leg as the clock continued to run. John Harbaugh became angry because he believed Pittsburgh was purposely taking time off the clock and should have been penalized for it.
Mike Tomlin became the Steelers’ head coach in 2007, and John Harbaugh took over the Ravens in 2008. Since then, they kept running into each other because Pittsburgh and Baltimore are in the same division. They played twice every regular season and also met four times in the playoffs.
Across his entire Steelers tenure, Tomlin finished 24-18 against the Ravens, including the playoffs. Against Harbaugh specifically, however, Tomlin finished 23-17.
Only George Halas and Curly Lambeau had coached against each other more times. Halas spent his career with the Chicago Bears, while Lambeau coached the Packers for 29 seasons before also spending time with the Chicago Cardinals and Washington. They faced each other 49 times, which remains the NFL record. Tomlin and Harbaugh were getting closer to that mark when they reached their 40th meeting.
During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show on September 3, 2026, Tomlin was asked whether he hated the Patriots or Ravens more during his coaching career. His answer was clear.
“Oh, certainly the Ravens. Just because of the intimacy of it. It starts in your division. Before you can dominate the AFC and the NFL, you’ve got to dominate the division,” Tomlin said.
Both John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin had their share of tough moments during the heated Steelers-Ravens rivalry. One of them came after Baltimore lost 23-20 to Pittsburgh in Week 13 of the 2012 season. Right after Shaun Suisham kicked the Steelers to the upset win, CBS cameras caught Harbaugh and Tomlin meeting at midfield for their usual postgame handshake. Harbaugh congratulated Tomlin, but Tomlin was already looking toward Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.
As Tomlin started walking away, Harbaugh called after him, “Hey, hey, hey,” and appeared to say something else. Tomlin then replied, “Thank you, good job,” before quickly leaving. Harbaugh continued watching Tomlin as he walked away, and the exchange appeared awkward on camera, although Harbaugh later said he felt fine about it.
But despite those heated moments, they both had mutual respect for each other. When Harbaugh was fired by the Ravens in January 2026, Tomlin spoke about him.
“First, I just have so much respect for Harbs,” Tomlin said on The Rich Eisen Show. “Our stories will forever be interwoven. This rivalry that we’ve been fortunate and honored enough to be a part of, I’ve just got so much respect for him and how he’s gone about his business. We’ve certainly had some legendary battles over the years.”
Harbaugh feels the same way, as he discussed their relationship back in 2021.
“We have a great relationship,” Harbaugh said. “I have a lot of respect for [Pittsburgh Steelers head coach] Coach [Mike] Tomlin and for the whole organization over there. I have other friends in the organization over there. Their players, everything about the Steelers, you have to respect. I always was an admirer of [former Steelers head coach] Chuck Noll.”
Now that there is no rivalry between them, fans might also like to see Tomlin and Harbaugh together and watch them cherish a new bond built after nearly two decades of competing against each other.