Chargers should thank Bears: Rumor says CHI never wanted Jim Harbaugh

Chris Roling | Dec 6, 2024

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Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers are riding high with Jim Harbaugh as head coach, sitting at 8-4 and prime playoff positioning while emerging winners in close games.

But in a different timeline, Jim Harbaugh is head coach of the Chicago Bears right now.

According to NFL insider Michael Lombardi, recent rumblings about Harbaugh originally having an interest in the job in Chicago are true.

"There were two teams that Jim Harbaugh would have loved to work for last year," Lombardi said on the Pat McAfee Show. "The Bears, who he played for and was the [first-round draft] pick for, and then the Las Vegas Raiders, who he worked for in his first coaching job. Neither team decided to go after him. Why, I don't know."

Instead, the Bears are 4-8 and have already fired a head coach.

Of course, it’s only natural for a premier head coach candidate to express some interest in a team about to pick first overall. Harbaugh overseeing a rebuild around Caleb Williams right now would be plenty interesting.

And yet, one has to imagine the Chargers were always a favorite during the process, too. Justin Herbert is a top-10 passer and defensive building blocks like Khalil Mack remained.

Regardless of what the rumors say, what Harbaugh has done in Year 1 of a supposed soft rebuild is impressive and a sign that he’s with the Chargers for the long haul – and that franchises like the Bears made serious mistakes.

"Kevin Warren is running that Chicago Bears team and that story about Jim Harbaugh is completely true..

Jim Harbaugh would've loved to worked for the Bears and Raiders but neither team decided to go after him" ~ @mlombardiNFL #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/uXLdPrGScP
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 5, 2024