Report: NFL team sets second interview with Jim Harbaugh
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh has been making the rounds since the official end of the 2023 season, which was capped off by his first national title win. Now, it appears one NFL team has set a second interview with him as questions about his future swirl.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Atlanta Falcons have set a second interview next week with Harbaugh for their head coaching position. The news came Friday evening shortly before the team announced it had just completed a second interview with former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Many have speculated Friday evening’s news could be a ploy to speed up Belichick’s decision timeline.
Harbaugh had an in-person interview with the Falcons this week in addition to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are considered the favorite for his services should he decide to head back to the NFL, but they have continued to interview other candidates, including former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who will meet with them virtually on Saturday.
The Michigan head coach was in Washington D.C. on Friday for a pro-life rally and briefly spoke there on his current process between the NFL and contract talks with U-M.
“I just take the counsel from God and the Holy Spirit,” Harbaugh said. “And Mr. Jack Harbaugh, my dad, and my wife, Sarah. Just taking the advice, living one day at a time. One day at a time, one game at a time, one play at a time”
According to the DraftKings Sportsbook, Harbaugh -300 to wind up as the head coach of the Chargers and +175 to return to Ann Arbor. The Atlanta Falcons sit at +850, while any other team sits at +1600. It is important to note that Vegas odds are not predictive and indicate where money is coming in.
Michigan currently has a contract extension on the table for Harbaugh for a reported six years and $69 million, which would make him the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten and one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. No salary demand has been reported in terms of what he may be looking for from the NFL.
Harbaugh is 86-25 at Michigan with three Big Ten Championships and a trio of trips to the College Football Playoff. The team finally got over the hump in the postseason this year, beating Alabama 27-20 in overtime in the Rose Bowl and closing out the year at 15-0 with a 34-13 win over Washington in the National Championship Game.
Harbaugh was 44-19-1 in four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, which included three-straight trips to the NFC Championship Game and a Super Bowl appearance in 2012, which ended in a 34-31 loss to John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans.
