Todd

Monken

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was first. Monken’s first two seasons in Baltimore resulted in two top-five scoring offenses and has Lamar Jackson on the cusp of winning back-to-back MVP awards. Monken, 58, interviewed with the Jaguars and Bears this offseason regarding their head coaching vacancies but was ultimately passed over for two younger offensive minds. His decision to remain with the Ravens for the foreseeable should be viewed as an organizational win for a team that has ranked second in EPA per play and offensive success rate since 2023. Fantasy managers should also be happy to see Monken remain in the mix.

Monken’s two years with the Ravens have gone about as well as one could hope for. The long-time offensive coordinator is on the verge of leading his quarterback to his second MVP in as many seasons and has a divisional-round matchup against the Bills on tap this weekend. Monken’s pass attacks are well-respected around the league, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to see two teams with young signal callers vying for his services. Monken’s only experience as a head coach was with the University of Southern Mississippi (2013-2015). He went 13-26 during his three seasons with the team but went 9-5 in his final season after inheriting a team that had gone 0-12 in 2012.

The Raiders have an opening after firing Antonio Pierce, the team’s second head coach in two seasons. Monken has already had interview requests from the Jaguars and Bears after helping the Ravens to one of the best offenses in the league. The Raiders are still figuring out their quarterback situation with Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew, and company, but Monken would add depth to the team’s stagnant offense. Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn have also been requested to interview, as well as Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo as the Raiders look to poach from the top teams in the league. Monken has a playoff run ahead of him with a potent Ravens offense and the Raiders hope to explore his high-scoring playbook for their head coaching job.

Monken will be a popular name on the head coaching vacancy circuit after he led the Ravens to a league-high in yards and the third most points, along with the second best offensive success rate. The Jaguars could very well lean toward an offensive-minded head coach who could help revive Trevor Lawrence’s career following his disastrous 2024 season, which was marred by injury. The Jags are also requesting head coaching interviews with Robert Saleh and Kellen Moore, among others.

Monken, 58, has never served as a head coach in the NFL, but his reputation as an elite offensive coordinator, specifically in the passing game, has always made him a threat to bolt for a top job of his own. Monken has spent the last two seasons with the Ravens and may have helped coach Lamar Jackson to his second-straight MVP after Lamar won MVP last season. Monken is one of several head coaching candidates the Bears hope to speak with in the coming days. While he isn’t the young, big-named player caller in the ilk of Ben Johnson, Joe Brady, or Liam Coen, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Monken had a chance to eventually lead his own team and build an offense to best suit his play-calling.

One of 11 — 11 — known interview requests for the Bolts as they move on from Brandon Staley, Monken has also drawn interest from the Panthers. A journeyman assistant known for his pass-first ways, Monken’s only head-coaching experience came from 2013-15 with Southern Miss. Despite his success with Lamar Jackson and company this year, Monken would be an extremely underwhelming hire.

Monken bolstered an already stellar resume this season while coaching quarterback Lamar Jackson to a potential MVP season. This comes after Monken worked in Georgia for back-to-back national titles. Monken could find the phone ringing quite frequently following Baltimore’s playoff run.

Hired this month to take over a Baltimore offense headed by Greg Roman since 2019, Monken is widely expected to bring a more traditional, balanced offense to the Ravens in 2023. Monken implemented pass-heavy “air raid” offensive systems as the offensive coordinator for the Bucs and at Oklahoma State, while deploying a more run-heavy approach at Georgia over the past three seasons. His Georgia offense frequently used two tight end sets, a potential boon for Isaiah Likely and reason to believe Mark Andrews will remain the focal point of the team’s passing offense. Monken’s Georgia offense wasn’t particularly good on the ground, ranking outside the top-35 in EPA per rush while posting top-three pass EPA numbers in 2022. “Overall, I think Monken will make the Ravens more balanced and capable of playing different ways,” Mink said. “It’s no secret that Baltimore has to improve its passing attack, and I think Monken will accomplish that.”

Monken beat out a few viable candidates, including Seahawks QB coach Dave Canales, to take over an offense coached by Greg Roman for the past four years. Monken also interviewed for Tampa’s OC job, which became far less desirable after Tom Brady’s retirement. Monken has rehabbed his reputation with back-to-back titles for Georgia after leaving the Browns in 2019. Cleveland was 21st in EPA per play in 2019 with Baker Mayfield at the helm. Monken’s Bulldogs offense in 2022 ranked 13th in EPA per play among FBS teams. It remains to be seen whether Monken will coach Lamar Jackson, a free agent who wants a fully guaranteed contract similar to the one Deshaun Watson landed in 2022. Monken’s hiring could mean the Ravens will move away from the run-heavy approach deployed by Roman.

Canales will do an in-person interview after conducting his first interview via Zoom, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Canales in 2022 led a quarterbacks room headed by Geno Smith, who had a career year, throwing 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while leading the NFL in completion rate. It looks like the Ravens offensive coordinator opening will be filled by Canales or Georgia OC Todd Monken, who also got a second interview with Baltimore. Whoever lands the job will likely install a more traditional passing offense than the one Greg Roman operated for the past four years.