Miami close to landing Harbaugh, firing Sparano
The Miami Dolphins are on the verge of hiring Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh to be their next head coach, according to multiple sources.
The team has yet to fire current head coach Tony Sparano, however, multiple sources within the Dolphins organization said the firing appears imminent and that several assistant coaches have already left the staff as of Thursday morning.
Dolphins officials declined comment.
The San Francisco 49ers have "lost Harbaugh" in the past two days after believing they could strike a deal, according to sources within that organization. Harbaugh interviewed with 49ers owner Jed York and new general manager Trent Baalke earlier this week.
The 49ers were shifting their attention to former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick and other candidates as of midday Thursday, a source said.
Harbaugh is one of the hottest NFL job candidates after posting a 12-1 season at Stanford that culminated with an Orange Bowl victory on Monday. He's 29-21 in four seasons at the Pac-10 school.
Sparano, who has a year left on his contract, is 25-23 in three seasons. The Dolphins finished 7-9 this season, and were 1-7 at home.
