Jim Harbaugh’s Next Stop If He Leaves Michigan for the NFL

Plus: Who coaches the Patriots if it’s not Bill Belichick; Brandon Staley’s future in L.A.; Texans’ and Vikings’ playoff chances; hot GM candidates and more in Albert Breer’s mailbag.

Your questions, looking at the here and now, and also ahead to January …

From The One They Call Nate (@nathancreaney7): What are the chances that the Chicago Bears will move off Eberflus at the end of the season. If so, would Jim Harbaugh be a potential candidate?

Nate, I’d say the chances that Bears president Kevin Warren wants to remake the football operation, and maybe be more intimately involved in it after the season, are strong. So I think it’d probably take a late-season surge from the team to get Matt Eberflus a third season in Chicago.

If the Bears move on without Eberflus, Harbaugh could be a match in Chicago :: Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports

If he’s gone, the Bears would be out of their minds not to at least explore Harbaugh, who’s built a distinctive style of team everywhere he’s been—his groups at Stanford looked like his groups at San Francisco and Michigan—and was wildly successful in his four years running the Niners. Whether he’d mesh with Warren is the real question. Warren was at odds with the Big Ten coaches en masse three years ago, and as the conference commissioner, he tried to cancel the football season.

But, I do think there’d be a match there.

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From Nick Palazzolo (@NickPalazzolo5): What do NFL teams truly think of the Harbaugh situation in regards to him making the jump?

Nick, I’d say the biggest question is how he’d fit with an owner and front office wherever he lands—though I think recent evidence would show that maybe some of those issues were specific to his situation in San Francisco. He’s got a pretty unified operation at Michigan, and he’s in his ninth year there, which would counter what’s been a long-held perception that he’s tough to work with.

His on-field track record, obviously, is fantastic. His NFL winning percentage of .695 is fifth all-time, behind only Guy Chamberlain, John Madden, Vince Lombardi and George Allen.

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Mayo is the clear front-runner to replace Bill Belichick in New England :: Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports

From Cam Gravina (@cgrav05): Do you think it is 100% Jerod Mayo is the new Patriots coach next year? Trading for Vrabel?

Cam, I don’t know that anything is 100%, but I’d say Mayo is the clear front-runner. He signed an extension in January that kept him from taking an interview for the Panthers head coaching job, and Mayo and the Krafts did discuss his future with the organization as part of those negotiations. You can’t, of course, write into a contract that a guy is your coach-in-waiting because of the Rooney Rule. But I do believe Mayo has a good idea of where he stands with the Patriots.

Could all of it blow up? Maybe, if things get really bad down the stretch.

And I do think Mike Vrabel would be near the top of any short list the Krafts have for the job if they do truly open it up post-Belichick. But my educated guess would be the job is Mayo’s. And while we’re there …

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From JH (@everydayliner): Seems Vrabel’s name comes up whenever there’s a potential job opening he’s related to (Ohio State, Patriots). Is it just that people are disregarding Tennessee, or is there legitimate smoke there?

JH, I think it’s because Vrabel has such strong connections to those two places, and both places have had questions about their head coach’s futures in recent years.

On the Titans end of it, I think there are two things to consider. The first is that owner Amy Adams Strunk loves Vrabel. She made a point of telling people that after firing ex-GM Jon Robinson last year, and included Vrabel in the GM search after the season. The second is there’s GM Ran Carthon, who Vrabel has fewer natural connections to than he did Robinson, who came up in New England while Vrabel was playing there.

So I’d say Vrabel’s the coach moving forward in Tennessee unless he doesn’t want to be.

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From Scribby!!! (@Sj61980267Sj): Al, don’t you think the Pats should do anything to get a playmaker like Harrison?

Scribby, it’s a fun idea, and you know how much I love Marvin Harrison Jr. I just don’t know if they’re in position to spend a first-round selection on the Ohio State receiver when there’ll be a top-end tackle, edge rusher, and, yes, quarterback prospects available where Harrison should go—inside the top five picks. If they’re picking first or second, they almost have to take USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye. If it’s after that, then Penn State OT Olu Fashanu or Notre Dame OT Joe Alt, or Alabama OLB Dallas Turner or Florida State DE Jared Verse could be options.

And there’s a balance to this, for sure. Harrison might be the best receiver prospect to come into the NFL in a decade. The problem, to me, is that it looks like a ground-up rebuild, and it’s really hard to start one of those with a skill player—it almost always makes the most sense to build on the line of scrimmage first. So do you pass on a truly generational prospect for a really good one that would make more sense for the stage you’re building?

To me, that’s why, if New England has the third pick (and a lot can happen between now and then) in this scenario, it’d probably make sense to trade down a spot or two with a team that wants Harrison. That is, assuming one of the other quarterbacks doesn’t ascend into Williams–Maye territory.

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From Mike (@meek858): Seems as though the Brandon Staley era in L.A. is coming to an end. Will that mean the end for Tom Telesco who has hired three coaches already? Who might be interested in that job with Justin Herbert?

Mike, I wouldn’t speak in absolutes on that. Staley and the Chargers still have eight games left, and they’re one game out of the final playoff spot. Their next five games—against the Packers, Ravens, Patriots, Broncos and Raiders—are very manageable. In fact, with the Baltimore game factored in as a loss, they probably should go 4–1, which would put the team at 8–6 heading into a Christmas weekend home game against the Bills.

So don’t close the book on Staley yet.

But, yeah, if Staley’s gone, as good a job as Tom Telesco has done building that roster over the years, it is pretty rare that a GM would get a fourth head coach hire after the first three were fired. Especially with the Chargers only having made the playoffs three times during his tenure.

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Dobbs and O'Connell have kept the Vikings in playoff contention :: Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports

From Alex Jackson (@m0j0_so_d0pe120): Are Texans or Vikings deep playoff contenders or just on a lucky streak?

Alex, I think both could get in, for sure, and both are in an excellent spot moving forward.

On the Texans, they’re a game back of the Jaguars in the AFC South, and beat Jacksonville head to head. They play the Jaguars again—at home this time—a week from Sunday. They have the Cardinals this week, and after the rematch with the Jags, they have the Broncos, Jets, Titans, Browns, Titans again and Colts. That’s pretty manageable, especially when you consider how C.J. Stroud is playing. And with Stroud and DeMeco Ryans leading the way, it sure feels like what we’re watching now is just the start for Houston.

As for the Vikings, just look at the NFC playoff picture. If we assume the Eagles, Lions and Niners are in (the three teams I have the most confidence, at this point), and figure the NFC South champion into that mix, you’re left with three playoff spots. That, to me, has the Vikings fighting with Dallas, Seattle, maybe (but not likely) a second NFC South team, and maybe Washington for three spots. Would anyone argue those three spots won’t go to the Vikings, Cowboys and Seahawks?

And while we’re there, if I were a Minnesota fan, I’d feel pretty good about the future. Kevin O’Connell has managed a wild quarterback situation, gone through a salary cap purge, and said goodbye to respected long-time Vikings such as Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks and Dalvin Cook. At 6–4, the Vikings are in the playoff race with a clean cap and full complement of picks moving forward. Now, they just have to find their own version of Stroud.

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From PedroSchmith (@PedroSchmithYT): Hottest GM candidates, and any you could say Washington is going after?

Pedro, if I had a ready list, there are a number of assistant GMs who’d be on it: Kansas City’s Mike Borgonzi, Cleveland’s Glenn Cook and Catherine Raiche, Indianapolis’s Ed Dodds, San Francisco’s Adam Peters and Tampa Bay’s John Spytek, in no particular order. Chicago’s Ian Cunningham and Carolina’s Dan Morgan, in my opinion, will be really good GMs, too, despite both teams not doing very well.

That said, if Commanders owner Josh Harris is hellbent on leaning into analytics, I think a couple of guys who recently ascended into assistant GM roles would at least be interesting. One is Tennessee’s Chad Brinker, who worked in pro personnel, college scouting, cap management and analytics in Green Bay. He pivoted to work under czar Russ Ball while getting his MBA at Northwestern, then working in a role tying together the team’s cap, analytics and scouting operations. Another is Philly’s Alec Halaby, who’d be more of a pure analytics hire for the Commanders.

And, remember, this isn’t over for the current group. It will take a lot for coach Ron Rivera, GM Martin Mayhew and VP for player personnel Marty Hurney to hang on, but the Commanders are still playing hard, and they’ve got a young quarterback (Sam Howell) who’s playing really well right now.

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From John Richardson (@JohnIsaac55): Dave Ziegler’s next move?

John, I think a lot of things are on the table for Ziegler, who really didn’t get much runway to prove what he could do as a general manager with the Raiders.

The first could be a potential move back to New England—if there’s a restructuring of the organization (as many expect) after the season. Ziegler has a good relationship with the Kraft family, served in the top personnel role, and succeeded his college teammate Nick Caserio in 2021 before going to Vegas. He also shares an agent, and a good rapport, with Bill Belichick’s presumed successor, Jerod Mayo.

If not New England, Philadelphia and Cleveland also make sense. The Eagles have become a great reset spot for execs (ex-Jaguars GM David Caldwell and ex-Broncos exec Matt Russell are working there), and Howie Roseman, who’s friendly with Zielger, always been keen on adding such perspectives to his operation. Cleveland’s another place that makes sense, with Ziegler’s relationship with Andrew Berry a plus, and the Browns having been a great spot for ex-Lions GM Bob Quinn, who Ziegler once worked under in New England.

Then, there’s the possibility that Ziegler goes with a new GM somewhere as an assistant GM. Regardless, there should be a lot of opportunities out there for a guy who’s well regarded and, again, didn’t really get a full shot in Vegas.

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From Zeze (@Zezex0_0): How impressive is the Cardinals’ rookie draft class?

So far, so good, Zeze.

Paris Johnson Jr.’s been excellent at right tackle, and projects to eventually be a left tackle (whenever that time comes, with D.J. Humphries still capably manning that spot). Second-round pick BJ Ojulari had two sacks against the Falcons on Sunday. Third-rounder Garrett Williams played 73% of the defensive snaps at corner, fourth-rounder Michael Wilson played 89% of the snaps at receiver, and sixth-rounder Dante Stills was a solid part of the defensive line rotation, with fifth-rounder Owen Pappoe contributing on special teams.

All in all, that’s really good production for a rookie class in the middle of their first year in the pros. And a good start for GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon, who have plenty to look forward to with the amount of draft capital they have for April.

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From Josh (@ypcjosh): Do you trust Seattle's defense to be a legit unit down the stretch?

Josh, the Seahawks’ defense did have some issues against Washington, and bigger ones the week before against the Ravens. But in their four October games, Seattle allowed three, 17, 10 and 20 points, and that unit is still stocked with young talent that should continue to get better as we get closer to the end of the year.

Bottom line: Pete Carroll should have them rolling down the stretch.

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From ASB1216 (@ASB1216): Is there any scenario where the Bills trade Josh Allen to the Giants, reuniting him with Daboll for their (assumed) top-three pick?

No.