Jim Harbaugh as the next Raiders head coach? Fans want that, but here’s why he could face NFL discipline

Could Jim Harbaugh go back to the NFL as the Raiders’ next head coach? There’s one thing to note about that.

OK, Raider Nation.

I know there’s a lot of talk on X about how you want Jim Harbaugh to replace the fired Josh McDaniels as head coach in Las Vegas. And I get that, despite the sign-stealing allegations leveled against Michigan — the last time Harbaugh was a head coach, he won 44 of 64 games with the San Francisco 49ers and took them to a Super Bowl.

There’s just one thing to note, and it has to do with that whole sign-stealing thing.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported earlier this week that “The NFL is unlikely to make itself a safe harbor for Harbaugh to escape what could be substantial NCAA discipline, league sources say, raising the strong possibility Harbaugh would need to serve some or all of any possible suspension he could face in college if he returns to the pros.”

There’s history of this: In 2011, NFL commissioner upheld Terrell Pryor’s Ohio State suspension and did the same with ex-Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel, who had joined the Indianapolis Colts.

“That precedent could prove relevant for Harbaugh,” Rapoport and Pelissero wrote. And what if that suspension is a lengthy one?

Still, Harbaugh’s name was thrown around a lot after the McDaniels firing: