The Harbaugh brothers will once again coach simultaneously in the NFL next season after Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh reached a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers to return to the professional ranks as the franchise’s next head coach. His exit from the Wolverines program comes just weeks after he led his alma mater to a national championship and significantly alters both the college football and NFL landscapes.
John Harbaugh, who remains in charge of the Baltimore Ravens, welcomed his brother back to the league during a Thursday press conference ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
“I have [congratulated him],” John said. “My thoughts are, ‘We play him next year.’ So we’re looking forward to all of it. Just very happy for him. Proud of him. Excited for him. Excited for his family. I heard — my mom and dad told me — that he called back in the evening and he found out that all of his kids starting with Addie and Katie had their bags packed already. They were ready to go. So they’re excited, too. It’s going to be great. He’s well-deserved. And I’ll say this; the Chargers just got themselves one great coach.”
The brothers’ head-to-head series is one-sided with John holding a 2-0 record against his sibling. Their first meeting came in 2011 — Jim’s first season with the San Francisco 49ers — when the Ravens came up with a 16-6 victory on Thanksgiving Day. They squared off a year later in Super Bowl XLVII, marking the first coaching matchup between two brothers in Super Bowl history. John’s team reigned supreme, 34-31, to earn the Lombardi Trophy.
John’s Ravens are back on the brink of a Super Bowl appearance, as they are days from taking the field in the AFC title game. While his brother now coaches an AFC team, he could be in attendance for the pivotal contest.
“I actually thought about that,” John said. “Will Jim be wearing Ravens gear if he comes in for the game this weekend? I don’t know the answer to that. We may have to require it, perhaps. That’s a good question.”
Jim receives an opportunity to notch his first win over his brother next season when the Chargers host the Ravens at SoFi Stadium. The date for that highly-anticipated matchup remains to be announced.
The now-former Michigan coach long flirted with the NFL, interviewing for multiple jobs in recent years yet always electing to remain at his alma mater. Now, he departs to lead a franchise with which he played as a quarterback, ending the lengthy drama that saw him tied to numerous vacancies over the last few offseasons.
The first question at Michigan in the immediate aftermath of Harbaugh’s exit is who replaces him atop the program. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore served in the interim head coach role during both of Harbaugh’s suspensions at the beginning and end of the 2023 regular season and led the Wolverines to victories in all of his games at the helm, making him an obvious candidate for the full-time job.
