Chargers News: Insider Believes Jim Harbaugh Will Likely Choose Bolts For One Specific Reason

Can the 60-year-old head coach turn the Bolts around?

The head coaching search for your Los Angeles Chargers is on. The Bolts and seven other NFL teams will search for a new head coach, and the hottest candidate remains Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. 

Harbaugh, coming off a national championship with Michigan, is viewed as the top candidate for many NFL teams, especially the Chargers. The Bolts must land this hire, and the potential hire of Harbaugh would be viewed as a slam dunk. It's not a foregone conclusion he will land in LA, but the chances of it happening are pretty high. 

According to NFL senior writer for The Athletic Matt Barrows, the Chargers would be Harbaugh's first choice because of how LA has similarities to the San Francisco 49ers when he took the job back in 2011. 

“The Chargers also might be in play for Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. In fact, league insiders think the Chargers would be Harbaugh’s first choice because it would remind him of the underachieving but veteran-laden team he took over in San Francisco in 2011.”

(per Matt Barrows via The Athletic)

There are some similarities between the Chargers and the Niners at the time. Before Harabugh's time in San Francisco, the Niners had not had a winning season or a playoff appearance since 2002. They were down in the dumps. Three years later, they had a Super Bowl appearance and two NFC championship appearances. 

Harbaugh is no stranger to turning programs and NFL teams around, and that's exactly what the Chargers need. 

The Chargers have had some success in recent years, but nothing they can hang their hat on. The Bolts have the talent to make a run, and with the right coach, it could get done as early as next season. 

Jim to LA makes too much sense; it would be a perfect fit for both sides, and the Chargers would immediately be a hot commodity in trade destinations and for free agents. 

Will Jim want to start from the bottom up again? We'll find out soon.