Report: Jim Harbaugh Has ‘Legitimate Interest’ in Becoming Vikings Coach

Could Jim Harbaugh make a return to the NFL in 2022?
Report: Jim Harbaugh Has ‘Legitimate Interest’ in Becoming Vikings Coach
Report: Jim Harbaugh Has ‘Legitimate Interest’ in Becoming Vikings Coach /

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh could make a move to the NFL in 2022, and he appears to be eyeing one job in particular. 

Harbaugh has “conveyed legitimate interest in the Vikings' head-coaching job,” according to ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler. Harbaugh is one of at least three coaches still in the mix for the Minnesota vacancy, joining Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. 

Harbaugh, 58, went 44-19-1 in his lone stint as an NFL head coach from 2011 to '14. He led the 49ers to the postseason in each of his first three seasons, and the team reached Super Bowl XLVII, losing to the Ravens. Harbaugh is 61–24 across seven seasons at Michigan. 

The Vikings fired former coach Mike Zimmer on Jan. 10 after eight seasons with the franchise. Zimmer went 72-65-1 with Minnesota, though the Vikings have finished under .500 in each of the last two seasons. 

More NFL Coverage: 

• A Few First Impressions of Super Bowl LVI
• Bengals Are NFL’s Best Cinderella Story in Decades
• How the Bengals and Rams Punched Their Tickets to the Super Bowl
• Inside The Vikings: Harbaugh, O'Connell, Ryans Rumored to Be Finalists

For more Minnesota Vikings news, go to Inside The Vikings.


Published
Michael Shapiro
MICHAEL SHAPIRO

Michael Shapiro is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated. He is a Denver native and 2018 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.