Where Jim Harbaugh Might Coach Next Season
It seems Jim Harbaugh could return to the NFL in 2024.
He just won the College Football National Championship at Michigan and hired NFL agent Don Yee, who also represents Sean Payton.
Which team is most likely to hire Harbaugh?
The Chargers immediately come to mind because they have an elite quarterback in Justin Herbert, and the NFL is a quarterback driven league. For Harbaugh to leave a great college program, he'd be unwise to join a team that doesn't have a great quarterback, because the draft always is a crapshoot, and if he tries to take a college quarterback in Round 1, he easily could end up with the next Zach Wilson or the next Justin Fields.
The Chargers are a great fit for Harbaugh because he played for them late in his career, plus he coached at the University of San Diego, so he has California ties. Presumably, his family would be open to moving to Los Angeles.
But the Chargers are a historically cheap franchise that might not want to pay Harbaugh what he's worth, which is more than most head coaches. Plus the Chargers are in the AFC, as is Harbaugh's brother John, who coaches the Ravens. It's possible Jim would rather coach in the NFC.
One sleeper team to watch is the Dallas Cowboys. If they lose in Round 1 of the playoffs to the Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy could get fired. And if he gets fired, the Cowboys certainly could afford Harbaugh. Plus they have an MVP-caliber quarterback in Dak Prescott whom Harbaugh might want to work with.
If Dallas were to hire Harbaugh, the Cowboys and the 49ers once again would be the best rivalry in sports.
Jerry Jones needs to make this happen.