Jim Harbaugh Withdraws From Vikings Coaching Search, Returns to Michigan

It looked like Harbaugh was headed to the Vikings, but apparently he's staying in Ann Arbor.

After all that, Jim Harbaugh will not become the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He called Michigan this evening to inform them that he'll be returning for the 2022 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Jim Harbaugh called Michigan to inform the school that, despite interviewing with the Vikings today, he will be returning to school for the 2022 season, sources tell ESPN. Michigan was, in the words of one source, “elated” to get Harbaugh’s decision.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2022

This is a surprise. Harbaugh interviewed with the Vikings over the course of nine or ten hours on Wednesday at the team's facility. All of the signs were pointing towards him being hired by Minnesota, provided ownership could get on board during the interview. Harbaugh was reportedly interested in the job, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah reportedly wanted him. There was even a report on Tuesday evening from a Michigan insider that Harbaugh was planning to sign with the Vikings.

But instead, he's staying in Ann Arbor. Whether that means he had a change of heart or that the Vikings had key members of their search committee who weren't in agreement with the idea of hiring him is unclear. But either way, Harbaugh is no longer in the running and the focus now shifts to the remaining finalists.

As of now, the Vikings' next coach will come from a group of three candidates who have interviewed with the team twice: Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. O'Connell and Morris interviewed with Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings in Los Angeles on Monday night. Because the Rams are playing in the Super Bowl, neither one could be officially hired until after the game on February 13th, though an informal agreement could be reached ahead of that time.

Update: It's going to be O'Connell, according to multiple reports.

Graham was added to the Vikings' list of candidates after Adofo-Mensah was hired, doing a first interview virtually on Saturday and then a lengthy interview in Minnesota on Tuesday.

It's been reported that the three head coach candidates Adofo-Mensah mentioned to the Vikings were Harbaugh, O'Connell, and Graham. So it appears the latter two may have a better chance than Morris, although you never know. Adofo-Mensah overlapped with O'Connell in San Francisco in 2016 and apparently has a strong relationship with Graham, a fellow Ivy Leaguer.

The search continues.

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