Speculation about where Jim Harbaugh will coach next has been an offseason story for the past few seasons, and this year is no exception, even as Harbaugh leads No. 1 Michigan into the College Football Playoff national championship game. Now, with kickoff drawing near, some inside the NFL believe there’s mutual interest between himself and one team, in particular.
That team? The Los Angeles Chargers, according to an anonymous NFL coach, who spoke with The Athletic about interest in Harbaugh, and vice versa.
“They want Harbaugh, and he wants them,” the coach said to The Athletic, adding that the Raiders would also be interested. Both teams present opportunities: the Raiders would let him operate more freely compared to the more involved Spanos family, who own the Chargers, but the latter has a more promising quarterback in Justin Herbert.
An executive added of the Chargers: “They have the new stadium, the money it brings in. There is no one there in ownership that would keep Harbaugh from taking the job. They might get cold feet after they meet with Harbaugh, because of his personality, but they have to do something for the city, the fan base, and players, everyone.”
Rumors around Harbaugh’s coaching future heated up further late in the season after it was rumored that the Michigan coach hired agent Don Yee, a veteran rep with deep NFL ties, combined with Harbaugh not yet signing a new deal with the Wolverines amid some long-term offers from the school.
Harbaugh went 44-19-1 as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, playing in three straight NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl. He also earned credibility as a coach by helping turnaround Stanford and then Michigan.
(Athletic)
