Jim Harbaugh led Michigan to a national championship game, but that doesn’t mean the NFL isn’t talking about its longtime head coach anymore.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler made it clear tonight that Harbaugh won’t have an NFL deal on or off until the end of Michigan’s season.
Immediately following the end of the Rose Bowl tonight, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson linked the winning coach to the Los Angeles Chargers’ coaching vacancy.
I’m told the expectation at this time for the #Chargers is that they’ll run their head coach & general manager searches simultaneously, per source.
Some early names surfacing around the HC vacancy at this preliminary stage include Dan Quinn, Eric Bienemy, Jim Harbaugh &…
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 2, 2024
“The head coach and general manager will be searching simultaneously,”
Anderson tweeted.
“Other early names vying for the HC spot include Dan Quinn, Eric Bienemy, Jim Harbaugh and possibly Bill Belichick — who knows a lot about the game. And/or the Super Bowl.”
Harbaugh coached the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14 and returned to his alma mater in 2015.
Daniel Patrick Quinn (born September 11, 1970) is an American football coach who serves as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL).
He served as the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks from 2013 to 2014 and served as the spokesman for the Legion of Boom High School team.
Under Quinn, Seattle made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, led the league in defense and won for the first time in Super Bowl 48.
That success led to Quinn being named head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent six years.
Quinn’s most successful season with the Falcons came in 2016, when he led the team to the Super Bowl and posted the largest lead in Super Bowl history.
Atlanta made just one playoff appearance under Quinn, which led to his firing in early 2020.
Dan Quinn became the Cowboys’ quarterback in 2021 after playing in Atlanta. Quinn would change the face of defense throughout his career.
As a result, Quinn was be named the 2021 NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.
Eric Bienemy Jr. (born August 15, 1969) is an American football coach and former running back, assistant coach and offensive coordinator (OC) for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL).
He was an All-American and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting during the 1990 national championship season.
Bienemy was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft, and later played primarily as a special teams player for the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles before returning to Colorado in the early 2000s to complete his title
James Joseph Harbaugh (born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach, former quarterback, and the 20th and current head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines.
He played in the National Football League (NFL) for his 14 seasons from 1987 to 2000, and his longest tenure as a player was with the Chicago Bears.
He was the head coach of the San Diego Toreros (2004-2006), the Stanford Cardinals (2007-2010), and the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers (2011-2014).
His father, Jack Harbaugh, was a football coach, and the family lived in Ohio, Kentucky, Iowa, Michigan, and California.
He attended high school in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Palo Alto, California, where his father served as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan and Stanford University, respectively.
After graduating from Palo Alto High School in 1982, Harbaugh returned to Ann Arbor and enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he played three seasons as quarterback for the Wolverines.
He played quarterback in the NFL for 14 years, with Chicago from 1987 to 1993, with the Indianapolis Colts from 1994 to 1997, with the Baltimore Ravens in 1998, and with the San Diego Chargers from 1999 to 2000.
In 1995, he led the NFL Colts to the AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis, was selected to the Pro Bowl, and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
From 1994 to 2001, when Harbaugh was still playing in the NFL, he served as an unpaid assistant coach at Western Kentucky University, where his father, Jack, was the head coach.
Harbaugh returned to college in 2004 as head coach at the University of San Diego.
After leading San Diego to back-to-back Pioneer League titles in 2005 and 2006, he moved to Stanford in 2007 and led the Cardinals to two bowl berths in four seasons, including a 2011 Orange Bowl victory.
Harbaugh signed a five-year contract as head coach of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, leading the team to the NFC Championship Game in each of his first three seasons after the team missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons.
He and his older brother, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, became the first brothers in NFL history to serve as head coaches.
Their team played in the Thanksgiving Classic game in 2011 and Super Bowl XLVI at the end of the 2012 season.
William Stephen Belichick (born April 16, 1952) is an American football player who is the head coach and de facto general manager of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).
He is widely considered one of the greatest head coaches of all time, holding numerous coaching records, including most Super Bowl wins as a head coach with the Patriots (six), and as a defensive player, has won two more times. The New York Giants coordinator has a record eight Super Bowl wins as a coach and coordinator.
Parcells and Belichick won two Super Bowls together before Belichick left to coach the Cleveland Browns in 1991.
He returned to Parcells, first in New England, where the team lost Super Bowl XXXI, and later with the New York Jets.
After being named the head coach of the Jets, Belichick resigned after one day on the job to accept the position of head coach of the New England Patriots on January 27, 2000.
He won 13 AFC Championship games and 9 Super Bowl appearances with a record six wins.
In total, Belichick won eight Super Bowl titles (the most in NFL history) and finished second four times during his combined time as an assistant and head coach.
Belichick is the NFL’s longest-tenured active head coach and is also the first-time coach in the playoffs with 31 wins and third in the NFL in regular-season wins with 298.
In addition, Belichick also ranks second in regular season and postseason wins as the second most regular season coach wins with a concession.
He is one of only three coaches to win six NFL titles. He was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year in the 2003, 2007 and 2010 seasons.
Fans had this to say:
Bienemy would be good for the Chargers.
— Revolutionary Film Studios (@RevFStudios) January 2, 2024
Is money going to be an issue in who they hire? I’m referring to obviously Jim Harbaugh and Bill. Always appreciate you and your reporting.
— Matt (@bolt_laker) January 2, 2024
Preliminary and final HC is Jim Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh. No other candidates will be considered
— President Musk (@PresidentMusk11) January 2, 2024
Same crap every year with Quinn. He's not going anywhere. The Chargers will focus on Harbaugh and Bienemy. Period
— Alex Pacheco (@pachecoalex24) January 2, 2024
Bienemy deserves a chance. He’s been a great offensive coordinator. Plus, He grew up in Calif and knows how to deal with this lifestyle!
— MazNancy777 (@MazNancy777) January 2, 2024
Please send Belichick literally anywhere else. Keep him away from the Chargers.
— J (@itsdukebtw) January 2, 2024
Harbaugh is the clear choice if he’s willing to coach for them. Dan Quinn would be the next best option.
— Adam Sadigh (@AdamSadigh) January 2, 2024
Bienemy has been so good this year at Washington as the O coordinator….
— Zach Ehrmantrout (@ZachEhrmantrout) January 2, 2024
Nice post. Zero info. None of it can be verified, well
Played.— Brian Phillips (@BrianPh56573383) January 2, 2024
Harbaugh is the only one I would even think about. Quinn maybe, MAYBE. EB and BB would stay far away from
— BangBang9ersGang (@Bang9ersGang) January 2, 2024
Shouldn't the Chargers already be in that process. They fired the HC and GM a few weeks ago so I assume they are already working on filling both vacancies
— Patrick Grannan (@magrampip) January 2, 2024
