The Jim Harbaugh Derby for NFL teams is upon us.
According to ESPN and multiple reports, the Los Angeles Chargers will be the first NFL team to meet with Harbaugh about the head coaching vacancy.
Atlanta, Carolina, Las Vegas, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington also have openings.
Harbaugh, who previously coached in the NFL, had a previous relationship with the Chargers and the Spanos family, which owns the team. He played for the Bolts in 1999 and 2000 before retiring after the 2001 season.
The Chargers are looking for a new coach and general manager after firing Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco on Dec. 15, a day after a 63-21 loss in Las Vegas to the Raiders.
When asked about possible interest in the NFL and then the Chargers during an availability at Disneyland before the Rose Bowl on Dec. 27, Harbaugh gave the same answer to both questions.
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“Such a one-track mind. That's the way we do things. Literally, no matter what day we're having, trying to make the most of dominating the day, we'll sleep and wake up tonight.” We'll get up tomorrow and see if we can “We can’t dominate this day,” he said. “It’s a determined group. She’s just very focused on taking care of business today and seeing if we can’t do the same thing tomorrow.”
Harbaugh spent the last week relaxing after the Wolverines beat Washington 34-13 in the College Football Playoff national title game on Monday. Michigan held a parade and ceremony Saturday to celebrate its national title.
Harbaugh, 60, has played at Michigan for nine seasons and has an 86-25 record. Harbaugh's tenure at his alma mater lasted longer than most people expected when he was hired in 2015. He was at the University of San Diego for three seasons (2004-2006), Stanford for four seasons (2007-2010) and the San Francisco 49ers for four (2011-2014).
Harbaugh was offered a 10-year, $125 million contract by Michigan that included a clause that he could not accept any NFL offers this offseason.
To prepare for a possible return to the NFL, Harbaugh recently hired Don Yee as his new agent. Yee is known for his representation of another famous Michigan quarterback – seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady – but the Pasadena-based agent also represents Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, who was the most sought-after coaching free agent last year .
Harbaugh hasn't hidden his interest in potentially returning to the NFL. He led the 49ers to a 44-19-1 record and an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII, where the Niners lost to the Baltimore Ravens, coached by his brother John.
Jim Harbaugh has had NFL flirtations over the last two years. He interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings two years ago and had conversations with the Broncos and Carolina Panthers last year.
Despite leading Michigan to its first national title since 1997, it was a frustrating year for Harbaugh. He was suspended for the first three games by the NCAA for a Level I violation because the association concluded he misled investigators.
Harbaugh was subsequently suspended by the Big Ten for the final three games of the regular season for violating the conference's athletic policy for allegedly stealing signs.
Michigan has received a notice of allegations of NCAA Level II violations in recruiting during the pandemic.
The Chargers conducted six interviews regarding their vacancy. They interviewed interim coach Giff Smith and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on Tuesday, Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on Thursday and Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Friday. On Saturday, they interviewed two defensive coordinators: Steve Wilks of San Francisco and Mike Macdonald of Baltimore.
Although Monken, Wilks and Macdonald work for playoff teams, they were allowed to interview virtually as part of the league's revised head coach interview policy because their teams are out this week because they are the top seeds in their respective conferences.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.