Jim Harbaugh interviews for NFL head coaching job
Jim Harbaugh interviews for NFL head coaching job originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Speculation about Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh returning to the NFL has been a recurring storyline for almost a decade. The question looms larger than ever this offseason after he led his alma mater to a national championship a week ago. Now, he officially has a decision to make about his future at Michigan.
The Los Angeles Chargers completed an interview with Harbaugh for head coach, the team announced Monday. This comes after the Chargers fired head coach Brandon Staley after a historic 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15. They finished the season 5-12.
After a wishy-washy sophomore season for Matt Eberflus, Bears fans had their fingers crossed that Harbaugh would land in Chicago. Those hopes were quickly dashed.
"I haven't talked to Jim," Bears GM Ryan Poles said in his year-end press conference at Halas Hall. "He's the coach at Michigan."
The Bears believe they have their guy in Eberflus, especially by the way he kept the team from crumbling after an 0-4 start to the season. Poles made it clear he values stability. Which might make sense if he wasn't valuing it over one of the greatest head coaching candidates in league history.
"I really think that the head coach needs to be able to captain the ship when the seas have storms, and really keep everything settled," he said. "When you go through hard times and he can keep everyone together, to me, that's the critical piece. In a big market like this, you have to be strong. I mean, if he's jumping off the boat and everyone else starts jumping off the boat, it's a hot mess. So the stability was a big piece of it."
The Bears are already in for an overwhelming offseason as owners of the No. 1 overall pick. Perhaps they feel they need to sort out their quarterback situation before they rock the franchise any further.
And who knows if Harbaugh will even end up leaving college football. "He's the coach at Michigan," after all.
Though, Harbaugh, himself, might beg to differ.
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