NFL insiders reveal Jim Harbaugh drawing serious interest from multiple NFL teams
Just one day after his team lost in the College Football Playoff and his season came to an end, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is already being linked to NFL jobs once again. A Sunday report from the NFL Network shared that Harbaugh is among the top targets to be involved in the Denver Broncos’ search for a head coach. Former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn are also among the top targets, per the report.
This news comes just one year after the Minnesota Vikings interviewed Harbaugh for their open position and many thought he could be a serious candidate for the job. However, Harbaugh elected to return to his alma mater, just after winning a Big Ten Championship. Harbaugh’s NFL history makes him a prime candidate for any job that could come open in the league this year.
Harbaugh was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14. In those four seasons, Harbaugh went 44-19-1 and made the playoffs three times. In his second season with the 49ers, Harbaugh took them to the Super Bowl where they would come up just shy of the win against the Baltimore Ravens.
It looked like Harbaugh was set to possibly claim his first national championship of his coaching career this year, as Michigan was more than a touchdown favorite against TCU on Saturday night. But the Horned Frogs struck first and the Wolverines were fighting all night. The game ended up being a high-scoring shootout, with TCU coming out on top, 51-45.
“Really proud of them. Really proud of the fight,” Harbaugh said. “They have been locker room heroes the entire season. As I was standing there in front of them, that’s who they are. It’s what they are. I was super proud of them. That’s why you never give up. You never give in. You never let up. You just keep playing, keep playing the game one play at a time. I’m sure there’s a lot of analogies to life with that.
“But they’re real. Our team continues to do that, done it all year, and did it right up until the end. Great season that ends one week early.”
If the Broncos were to hire Harbaugh, he would be tasked with turning around a franchise in desperate need of revival. Denver won the Super Bowl in 2015 but has since gone seven straight seasons missing the playoffs, including this one. The Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett after he went 4-11 in his first season as the head coach.