The door for a possible return to the NFL coaching ranks for Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t quite closed just yet. As reported on Saturday afternoon by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Harbaugh took a job interview with the Minnesota Vikings.
Harbaugh is no stranger to having his name in the NFL coaching rumor mill, and that figured to be the case following a Big Ten championship season with the Wolverines that resulted in an appearance in the College Football Playoff. But this is the first real step toward Harbaugh legitimately exploring the opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL.
Despite being thought of as a possible candidate for the job vacancy with the Las Vegas Riders, a job Harbaugh reportedly had an interest in accepting if offered, this is the first opportunity Harbaugh has had to actually interview for a possible job as a head coach in the NFL this offseason.
Of course, just because Harbaugh has interviewed for a job doesn’t mean he is packing up his office in Ann Arbor just yet. It is unknown if the supposed interview even went well. But make no mistake, the head coach of the Wolverines is weighing his options.
This could all be just a part of the game to eventually land a more rewarding contract from Michigan, one the Wolverines brass would likely ultimately make happen. Sometimes this is all a part of the contract negotiations game. But it could also be Harbaugh being motivated to return to the NFL and succeed and finish the job he came up just short of during his time with the San Francisco 49ers, when they came up just short in the Super Bowl against his brother, John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens.
For now, there is no real reason to believe Michigan won’t have Harbaugh as their head coach in 2022, but the eyes of the entire Big Ten will certainly be watching this one closely. But let’s be honest, it would be kind of fun to see Harbaugh and Minnesota Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck occupying the same football space in Minnesota.
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