OT: NFL teams looking for head coaches
A key topic of interest for many on this board is "head coaching".
There are other threads on specific teams / coaches being interviewed - so, if this is redundant, I'd ask a mod to delete.
There are eight (8) NFL teams looking for head coaches - and, IIRC - Harbaugh has been noted as talking to / interviewing for two of them.
The teams are:
- Las Vegas
- Washington
- Carolina
- Atlanta - Harbaugh spoke with them - perhaps interviewed - this week
- LA Chargers - Harbaugh interviewed earlier this week
- New England
- Seattle
- Tennessee
Any thoughts on these teams and who they might select as their next head coach?
My wish / hope is that Harbaugh spends the rest of his career in Ann Arbor as Michigan's head coach.
January 19th, 2024 at 9:59 AM ^
Looking at that list, if I were Jim Harbaugh I would consider the following (before even getting into how much control each front office would grant him:
Chargers: Purely because of Herbert.
Atlanta: Weak division, if you get a Goff/Mayfield/Prescott/Cousins level QB you could easily be in the playoffs every year.
Tennessee: Similar to Atlanta in theory, though Stroud and a healthy Lawrence might change that going forward.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:13 AM ^
I don't know about Tennessee. Yes I think Harbaugh is an upgrade over Vrabel, but they have similar philosophies and I think the Titans may need something different. They do have a lot of cap space however.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:30 AM ^
I would jump all over Washington. Arguably the best gm in the league now, 2nd pick in the draft. 5 picks in the top 100. 80 mill in cap space with the possiblity to add even more to that
January 19th, 2024 at 10:46 AM ^
Totally agree unless the Philly job opens up. Everything you said plus you’re coaching in a division with three pretty shitty HCs so winning now is definitely on the table.
January 19th, 2024 at 11:02 AM ^
Yeah, that I would be legitimately scared of. Philly wouldn't give Harbaugh the control he wants, but their front office is good enough that he might be fine working with them.
Small silver lining is that while obviously I don't want him to go, he would be well-positioned to succeed with Philly and we would all get some small schadenfreude from seeing him fire Matt Patricia posthaste
January 19th, 2024 at 11:46 AM ^
Not to mention they have $28M+ cap space.
January 19th, 2024 at 1:56 PM ^
Philly fans, in every sport, are horrible humans. Would not want to deal with any of that - either as HC or water boy.
January 19th, 2024 at 12:33 PM ^
The Titans are interesting. They are basically the team you want to go to if you want a total blank canvas, since they have almost entrenched starters/veterans coming back next year, tons of cap room, and have no direction at the moment.
Pros:
- Levis showed some promise as a rookie - though he is going to be 25 in a few weeks, which is pretty old for his draft class.
- Since Levis was a 2nd rounder, the team is not that married to him, so Harbaugh could bring in someone else without too much issue.
- They have a ton of cap space if they do not re-sign/release guys as expected.
- Nashville is also a pretty cool town, and is basically the new Austin in terms of emerging "it" city - so his family might enjoy that.
- Ownership is pretty good, as Amy Adams Strunk (Bud Adams' daughter) is the right amount of hands-on/off with the team, and would give him a very long leash.
- Moving into a new stadium in 3 years.
Cons:
- Due to the terrible management by their former GM Jon Robinson, that’s a total rebuild job.
- Outside of Simmons, all of their picks have been busts since 2019, so the actual young-ish talent there is terrible - with only 3-4 opening day starters coming from the past 5 drafts total.
- They are in a division where they are undoubtedly the worst team for the next few years.
- This team is more likely to get the #1 pick next year than win even 6+ games.
January 19th, 2024 at 2:10 PM ^
Is Nashville really an "emerging 'it' city?" I've been going every year for a long time and it seems to be quite popular and frankly already way overpriced. It is probably on par with Austin in terms of real estate prices.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:00 AM ^
Didn't New England already announce their replacement hire? Jerod Mayo?
January 19th, 2024 at 10:02 AM ^
Correct. Already forgot about that.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:00 AM ^
New England isn't looking for a coach. They hired Mayo.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:11 AM ^
Give me Vrabel on line one, hold the Mayo.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:03 AM ^
NE off the list
Vegas, probably Pierce
Washington, probably Ben Johnson or Slowiik
Carolina, not sure. Gonna be hard to get someone to go there when they could be fired in a few months.
ATL - Belichick probably
Chargers -
NE - Mayo
Seattle - Quinn?
Tennessee -
Chargers would seem to be a fit for Harbaugh but Spanos isn't exactly an ideal owner.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:11 AM ^
Quinn seems to have lost his luster after the Cowboys loss. And he was in Seattle as Pete Carroll's DC before he got the Falcons job. He seems to be a bit of fools gold.
Chargers not only have a notoriously cheap owner, but also apparently they have some serious cap issues to the tune of $44M over the cap for next year. Not exactly a great environment for a coach.
Carolina has a QB problem.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
These jobs are open for a reason.
These coaches are available for a reason.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:56 AM ^
Not really sure Spanos' rep for being cheap matters. They'll talk numbers probably pretty early via agents and Harbaugh will know that answer quickly - cheap is not a long term concern for an NFL owner like meddling or not caring is.
Many have shared this sentiment but my guess is any other concerns are out-weighed by Herbert for Jim. He's going to have immense confidence in his own abilities to right the ship elsewhere, so long as he is given the power to do so.
January 19th, 2024 at 11:42 AM ^
That's fine for Harbaugh's salary...will they pony up for his assistants and staff? Will they be willing to make upgrades to the facilities? Are they willing to spend money in free agency? Those are legit concerns that we don't know the answer to.
January 19th, 2024 at 11:53 AM ^
How are they going to protect Herbert when they're -$44M on their cap?? This is a big problem that's going to take several years to fix. If I'm Harbaugh I want nothing to do with that unless they give me the control I want. If not then that's a hot mess I want no part of.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:18 AM ^
Chargers = Vrabel (book it!)
That leaves Tennessee.
January 19th, 2024 at 11:55 AM ^
Seattle is not taking Quinn, they're trying to move away from the Carroll coaching tree, and they're not seemingly interested in Harbaugh. Vrabel could be a possibility or someone else without HC experience like Mike Macdonald.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:16 AM ^
After getting a little more perspective, I say Washington is where Harbaugh will go if he does go due to salary cap flexibility that the Chargers do not have. Also, being close to his brother that would delight his parents where John and Jim will be ~hour apart.
But, my bet is Jim stays at Michigan.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:20 AM ^
John and Jim could live in the same house in Columbia as long as the Commanders don't build a new stadium in Virginia.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:27 AM ^
Washington top guy is Ben Johnson then Mike MacDonald. There hasn't been much buzz about JH there
January 19th, 2024 at 10:59 AM ^
Ben Jonson is always second fiddle. I bet Washington goes with Shakespeare.
January 19th, 2024 at 12:27 PM ^
this is a real UMich joke
January 19th, 2024 at 10:30 AM ^
After listening to the mgoblog roundtable I'm basically where Brian is. It seems clear that Jim is always going to be looking at the NFL. If he doesn't go now, he'll be looking next winter...and the winter after that...and the winter after that
If he wants to go then thanks for everything Jim and it's been a great 9 years. The program is in a great spot and we have a HC lined up and ready to go. Just go.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:39 AM ^
Here is the question: which is better for Michigan?
A) Having Jim Harbaugh, but dealing with a couple of weeks of uncertainty every January
B) Not having Jim Harbaugh
To date I don't see how B is a better option than A. There just aren't many coaches of his caliber out there, and there may not be any available for the job.
January 19th, 2024 at 11:00 AM ^
Exactly how I feel. To go further on the risks of B) - is the next guy/staff able to spot and develop talent at the same level as Jim and anyone he takes with him? If not, is he able to turn the NIL story around enough (on top of being more committed to M in January) to recruit a more translatable level of talent here? I have my doubts. Not saying its impossible, but I have my doubts.
Jim with his warts + the bench of coaching talent and churn of good coaches into good job opportunities elsewhere (that eventually could come back home) is the best situation for Michigan.
January 19th, 2024 at 12:01 PM ^
"Is the next guy able to spot and develop talent?" - this is an excellent point.
I have nothing but respect for Michigan's staff - Moore, Minter, and their respective units have done a great job - Ben Herbert's been fantastic.
At Michigan - Harbaugh will confirm who will, or won't, be offered. And, Jim's approach to identifying talent has been very good. I don't know what role Moore, Minter and others have had in identifying the players Michigan has offered, but Jim certainly seems to have been a key part of that.
January 19th, 2024 at 12:24 PM ^
Harbaugh may also have an easier time convincing elite assistants to come here - and stay here - than his replacement. It's far from certain we can maintain a staff of this quality without him here.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:46 AM ^
I’m not far off from where you are. I do think that at some point, he’d get tired of going through the aggravation of interviewing and telling every recruit he may or may not be there next season etc only to not the get a job. At some point, don’t you just tell potential suitors to only come for me to interview you. He has an established record at the college and pro level, if you want him, make him an offer.
The obvious caveat is that nfl teams have the Rooney Rule, so you’d think his agent could tell any potentially interested parties “interview your 3-4 candidates and if you don’t think they’d be a better fit, you know where to find me”. That is essentially what Bama did with Lanning and DeBoer, and it led to a quick and clean hire.
Maybe Jim still has to hedge with recruits at that point, but that’s much more palatable to be able to say “I’m not going unless I get a better opportunity dropped in my lap, and I’d expect you to do the same”.
TLDR: I’d like him to stay and put the onus on the nfl to woo him rather than watch him chase them every offseason. If he goes, thanks for everything. If he stays, please act like you want to be here.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:43 AM ^
He wants a Superbowl and I can't blame him. He is that good of a coach to bring any of these teams to the playoffs.
What I do want is his culture to remain at Michigan. We have youth and experience on our side in Minter, Moore, Clink, Hart, Jay, Elko...
January 19th, 2024 at 11:13 AM ^
"What I do want is his culture to remain at Michigan." I'd give this an infinite number of thums up, if I could.
The culture is paradoxical - both simple and complex at the same time. The student athletes, the coaches, the supporting staff, etc. - all in alignment during a very dynamic period with NIL and the portal influencing so many decisions.
The culture that's been part of Teams 142. 143, and 144 has been special with credit belonging to everyone involved. As the saying goes - "one bad apple can spoil the bunch". These teams - again, IMO - were wholely composed of great apples. Sustaining the culture is essential for continued success and I'm 100% supportive of the Maize & Blue.
January 19th, 2024 at 11:35 AM ^
Harbaugh agent is greedy af asking for all this control and perks….these nfl jobs are hard to get and not many 60 year olds are in demand. Harbaugh must be trying to justify moving his family and parents if he goes to nfl by calling all the shots and thinking he has leverage. Problem is his baggage from the 49er blackball and his age is working against him. Harbaugh has no place to go so he might just end up back at Michigan with another fleece contract by warde manual licking his chops right about now.
January 19th, 2024 at 12:07 PM ^
I'll agree that Harbaugh's age is working against him a bit. But, I don't agree with the 49'er blackball perspective.
The issue in SF was Balke. And, Trent was relieved of his duties two seasons after Harbaugh left.
Harbaugh knows football - and, has shown he can do it at both the collegiate and professional levels.
Nothing Michigan football related would make me happier than Jim leading Michigan football until he wishes to "put the whistle away". Go Blue!
January 19th, 2024 at 12:07 PM ^
Dupe... deleted
January 19th, 2024 at 12:04 PM ^
If I were any of these teams, I'm not sure why I'd want Belichek. He's 71 years old. Realistically, how many more years do you think you're going to get out of him? Even if we disregard the fact that the Patriots took a nosedive under his watch once Brady left, hiring Belichek honestly just feels like putting on a band-aid for another 2-3 years. Besides, Atlanta hiring Belichek would be one really tough pill to swallow after that 28-3 debacle.
Harbaugh is probably a much better fit for Atlanta. Most of the pieces are already in place, they have a solid defense, a potentially great RB, good options at receiver, a TE who could be really good if given enough opportunity (and Harbaugh would give Kyle Pitts every opportunity to flourish), and the division, for the time being, is exceptionally weak.
Carolina mortgaged its future for Bryce Young. Way too early to make a decision on his career, but the early returns are....not great. New Orleans has the oldest roster in the NFL and is in a really bad cap situation. Feels like they are still trying to make this Drew Brees' team even though he's been gone for three years. And while Tampa outperformed expectations this year and Baker looked really good at times, my guess is they're going to have a lot of guys walk in the offseason. Mike Evans is likely on his way out, Devin White wanted out earlier this year, too.
Gone are the days of that division being a murderers row of peak Matt Ryan, peak Drew Brees and peak Cam Newton. Harbaugh could step right into a great situation in Atlanta and as long as he finds at least competent QB play this offseason, Atlanta would be runaway favorites to win the division next year.
January 19th, 2024 at 12:12 PM ^
New England already hired their HC. Washington doesn’t seem to be interested in Harbaugh.
January 19th, 2024 at 1:03 PM ^
I'm all for Jim staying and coaching another 7-10 years. He'd end up at #2 at UM in wins behind his mentor Bo.
Of the teams Jim HASN'T interviewed yet, Washington is probably the best fit (LV is going to hire Pierce). They have a high pick and cap space and a new owner (anyone is better than Daniel Snyder).
What is so "soap opera" about Jim's last few years is that in spite of amazing success (40-3) is he more interested in: (a) running TOWARD something so exciting (Lombardi Trophy) that leaving a successful program is worth the risk (no guarantee he even makes it back to a SB) - or - (b) running AWAY from something that keeps him up at night (relationship with Warde, NCAA, Little Tony P, etc.)
Sure - it can be BOTH but usually ONE of the two is dominant. The other acts as a tiebreaker.
If we can believe SOME of what has been published (Jim wanting pseudo-immunity on NCAA violations), then I think Jim is still inclined to come back to UM even if he doesn't get that special treatment. The tiebreaker (for him to leave) is a great fit (owner gives him GM-like control over draft) PLUS a chance to win a SB in 5 years. I don't see that combo coming up every offseason any more - NFL GMs are very alpha-male and don't want to share success with the coach, unless they get the biggest slice of the credit.
The reality, in our favor if he stays, is that the NFL is far more likely to gamble on a Ben Johnson, etc. who owes his job to a GM.
I give very little thought about this subject and have spent more time enjoying watching replays of The Game, Frames losing at home in perhaps his best chance, Bama (Nick's last game), and The Title Game.
January 19th, 2024 at 1:16 PM ^
Location wise Washington would be great for Jack and Jackie. They could alternate whose home games they go see. Hopefully Jay Harbaugh stays at Michigan and both Jim and John send Michigan coaches.
The thing that suck about all of this is that our defense is going to be elite again next year and given our player development on the O-line it feels like we're going to reload there. With the transfer portal we should be able to nab a few key contributors and be in the thick of it again next year. If I'm an elite edge rusher I want to play alongside Graham and Grant. If I'm a transfer CB I want to play on Michigan's defense.
QB and WR are a mystery, but a 7th year Tuttle or 3rd year Orji would be as good as a true sophomore McNamara. With the Don, Mullings and Loveland, as well as whatever WRs emerge we should still have a sound Harbaugh offense.
January 19th, 2024 at 1:38 PM ^
Jim is in DC today at a pro life march/rally. It makes me wonder if he is also there to interview for the Commanders, or try to get an interview?
(Source of the rally info were several twitter accounts, including pics/videos, which all seemed like political twitter accounts, so I won't link them here)
January 19th, 2024 at 4:39 PM ^
Harbaugh at March for Life in DC today? Hmm. Commanders 45 minutes from Baltimore. Hmm.
Please stay Jim.