Jay Harbaugh May Turn Down Father’s Chargers for Another NFL Team, per Sources

The younger Harbaugh reportedly was set to join the Los Angeles Chargers but is now in talks with another West Coast franchise.

After leaving Michigan to coach the Los Angeles Chargers, it appeared that Jim Harbaugh would bring on son Jay Harbaugh as a member of his new staff. Sources tell Sports Illustrated that the younger Harbaugh is in talks to join a pro staff on the West Coast, but it might not be under his father in L.A.

Harbaugh is in discussions with the Seattle Seahawks to fill the special teams coordinator job on Mike Macdonald’s staff, according to SI’s Albert Breer. Macdonald has strong connections to the Harbaugh family—between lengthy stints on John Harbaugh’s staff with the Baltimore Ravens (2014 to ’20 in various assistant roles, ’22 to ’23 as defensive coordinator), he spent one season as Michigan’s DC in 2021.

Jay Harbaugh overlapped with Macdonald in Baltimore, serving as a quality control coach from 2012 to ’14, and again at Michigan. Since 2015, Jay Harbaugh has served as the Wolverines’ special teams coach while also coaching tight ends, running backs and safeties.

Jay Harbaugh has served in a variety of roles on his father’s Michigan Wolverines coaching staff :: Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press/USA TODAY Network

Days after Jim Harbaugh was hired by the Chargers, MLive reported that Jay would follow his father, making the pivot to the Seahawks a real surprise. 

Even without his son aboard, Harbaugh’s new L.A. staff will feature many familiar faces to the greater Harbaugh family coaching tree. Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and strength coach Ben Herbert are joining the Chargers staff, as is former Ravens assistant offensive line coach Mike Devlin.

Former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman is also reportedly expected to join the staff in a “prominent spot,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Roman was Jim Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 through ’14.