A Major NFL Coaching Domino Has Fallen
The NFL coaching cycle has gotten off to a tumultuous start in 2024.
Prominent head coaches such as Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, and Mike Vrabel were let go in the days following the conclusion of the regular season along with a few others such as Ron Rivera and Arthur Smith.
On Wednesday, one of the major dominoes fell as the Los Angeles Chargers have settled on a replacement for Staley in their head coaching role. Their new head coach officially is Jim Harbaugh.
A Major NFL Coaching Domino Has Fallen
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news, tweeting, “The #Chargers are moving to hire #Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh as their new coach, per me, @TomPelissero and @MikeGarafolo. In town for a second interview on Tuesday, he’s not expected to leave. Finally, the former #49ers coach is back in the NFL.”
Harbaugh has spent the past nine years at the University of Michigan, and he led the program to double-digit wins in six of those seasons, including each of the past three in which the Wolverines won the Big Ten and qualified for the College Football Playoff.
Of course, the now-former Michigan head coach has gone through his fair share of scrutiny over the past few months. He went through two separate suspensions during the 2023 college football season because of a sign-stealing scandal, but he came back to the sideline in time to lead his program to another Big Ten title and National Championship over the Washington Huskies.
Vikings fans will remember that Harbaugh was in the running for the post-Mike Zimmer head coaching job in 2022 before the team ultimately decided to hire Kevin O’Connell.
Now, Harbaugh heads to the Los Angeles Chargers with the hope of rejuvenating that franchise following a 5-12 2023 season. They certainly have a talented roster, particularly on the offensive side of the ball with QB Justin Herbert leading the way, but there is a long way to go before they are on the same level as, say, the eight-time reigning AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Harbaugh got this job in the aftermath of Brandon Staley being fired following LA’s Week 15 debacle against the Las Vegas Raiders in which they allowed 63 points to a team led by Aidan O’Connell at the QB position and trailed 42-0 at halftime.
The former 49ers head coach got the job after a long interview process, which included former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier.
In his most recent NFL head coaching gig, Harbaugh spent four seasons as the head coach of the 49ers and went a grand total of 44-19-1 during the regular season. This short but successful tenure included a Super Bowl appearance during the 2012 season.
Harbaugh turned 60 years old in December.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Sports Reference CFB.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
