Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh interviewing with Vikings, per reports
The possibility of Jim Harbaugh leaving Michigan to return to the NFL just got a bit more real.
The current Michigan head coach is interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings about their vacant head coach position, according to Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. This is Harbaugh's first known interview for a head coaching job this cycle.
The Vikings are planning to fly Harbaugh to Minnesota for an interview on Wednesday, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
The #Vikings plan to fly in Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for an interview Wednesday in Minnesota, per sources.
The sides spoke Saturday to gauge Harbaugh’s interest in the head coaching job. Now, another big step towards Harbaugh potentially returning to the NFL.— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 1, 2022
The news comes a few days after the Vikings hired former Cleveland Browns vice president Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their new general manager. Adofo-Mensah and Harbaugh have a two-year history of working together, back when Harbaugh was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Adofo-Mensah was the team's manager of football research and development.
Both the Vikings' head coach and general manager positions were open after the firing of Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman after a disappointing 8-9 season.
Will Jim Harbaugh make the NFL leap again?
It has been speculated for years that Harbaugh may return to the NFL, where he held a 44-19 record with a Super Bowl appearance in his first season with the 49ers, but last season was really the first one in which Michigan saw enough success for the idea to be taken seriously.
The Wolverines won their first Big Ten championship since 2004 and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in the format's history, though they were stomped 34-11 by eventual national champion Georgia. Michigan finished with a record of 12-2 and ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll.
During this cycle, Harbaugh's name has been frequently thrown out in speculation for head coaching jobs, especially the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins, that latter of which is owned by Michigan alum Stephen Ross. Some thought the firing of Brian Flores meant Harbaugh could be on the way to Miami, but the billionaire made clear he had no interest hiring away his school's coach.
Now, Harbaugh is getting an interview with a team that just hired a familiar face. We'll see where that takes him.
