After nine seasons of coaching in the college ranks, Jim returned to the NFL and will have another opportunity to beat his brother.
The Chargers and Ravens will meet this Monday night, marking the third time Jim and John Harbaugh will face off against each other.
The last time the two brothers went head-to-head was nearly 12 years ago in Super Bowl XLVII at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA, when Jim was the head coach of the 49ers.
The Ravens, led by quarterback Joe Flacco, opened with a strong first half with a 21-6 lead by halftime. Up 28-6, a power outage put America’s biggest sporting event on hold for over thirty minutes.
Soon after, the 49ers responded in the second half with 17 unanswered points, including a 31-yard touchdown pass by Colin Kaepernick, to make it 28-23. San Francisco trailed 34-29 at the two-minute warning, but a turnover on downs followed by an intentional safety cost them the game.
Baltimore won by the score of 34-31. Flacco finished with three touchdown passes, and Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a score.
“That loss was tough, but after some reflection and time, it’s my brother and best friend,” Jim said. “I’m really proud of him and happy for his success. It was earned.”
After nine seasons in the college ranks and leading the Michigan Wolverines to a national championship, Jim returned to the NFL with another opportunity to beat his brother for the first time.
“Walking off the field at that Super Bowl was like, there will be another day. And then there wasn’t for many years and it looked like I wouldn’t have a chance for another day,” Jim added. “But by the grace of God, I’m back in it and back on a team that has a chance.”
There’s a possibility of Colin Kaepernick joining the Chargers. But it likely won’t be to play quarterback.
There’s a possibility of Colin Kaepernick joining the Chargers. But it likely won’t be to play quarterback.
Upon returning to the NFL coaching ranks, Jim Harbaugh asked Kaepernick if he’d like to join the team in a “non-playing capacity.”
“Yeah, we talked a little bit about it,” Harbaugh said, per USA Today’s Jarrett Bell. “He’s considering it. He was out of the country. He said he was going to get back to me. We haven’t reconnected since then. That was early, early in the year.”
Recently, Kaepernick expressed his desire to play in the NFL again. But Harbaugh believes he’d be better suited as a coach now.
“If that was ever the path he was to take, I think that would be tremendous,” Harbaugh said. “He’d be a tremendous coach, if that’s the path he chose.”
The Chargers staff includes three of Harbaugh’s former players from when he was the head coach of the 49ers (NaVorro Bowman, Jonathan Goodwin and Will Tukuafu).
Harbaugh was asked if he would bring Kaepernick in and give him the opportunity to play again, but he declined to comment when the question was asked.
“I mean, it’s something I’ve trained my whole life for,” Kaepernick told Sky Sports of a potential return. “So to be able to step back on the field would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me.”
Kaepernick was drafted in Harbaugh’s first season in San Francisco. The following season, they played in Super 47, where they lost to Jim’s brother, John, and his Ravens. They made the NFC Championship game in 2013.
Amid Justin Herbert’s plantar fascia injury and the current quarterback struggles, it wouldn’t be surprising if Harbaugh has considered bringing in Kaepernick for a workout.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you giving us a bit of your time.
It’s been years since the NFL ostracized Colin Kaepernick. He hasn’t taken a snap since 2016, which is the same time he began taking a knee during the national anthem in protest against police brutality in America.
He’s been out of the league ever since. Kaepernick sued the league in 2019 for collusion and received an undisclosed settlement as a result of the case. That seemed like it might be the end of the story there.
But another door back into the league has officially opened for Kap if he wants to walk through it.
Jim Harbaugh has officially offered Kaepernick a coaching position on his staff with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to USA Today’s Jarrett Bell. The former Michigan head coach said he talked with Kaepernick about having him in Los Angeles as a coach in January. He said his former QB said he was considering it, but there hadn’t been any movement since.
“He’s considering it. He was out of the country,” Harbaugh told USA Today Sports. “He said he was going to get back to me. We haven’t reconnected since then. That was early, early in the year.”
Let’s be real — this probably isn’t going to happen. Kaepernick would probably be a great coach in the NFL, but he doesn’t want to coach. He still wants to play — even still after being eight years removed from the game at 36 years old. He said he wants back in the league as a QB, as he told Sky Sports in an interview last week.
“We’re still training, still pushing,” Kaepernick said. He’s not letting the rope go. Honestly, I can’t blame him.
The NFL shamefully exiled Kaepernick in 2016 for protesting systematic injustices against Black folks in America. He was on the right side of history — at least, according to the shift in the NFL’s tenor after that, anyway. He changed the way the league operates around race. It doesn’t go far enough in most cases, but considering where it’s coming from, the inches of progress made so far by the NFL can be directly attributed to Kaepernick’s knee.
Harbaugh’s gesture of offering him a coaching position seems like a genuine one. He described Kaepernick as a “hero,” and clearly has some admiration for his former QB and the stance he chose to take. He’s clearly someone he admires.
This probably isn’t the way back for Kaepernick, though. He wants back on that field. Honestly, with the way the Chargers backup QB room looks? There’s probably not much harm in giving him a shot.
Maybe you should consider that, Jim.
Charles Barkley: Man of the people?
(Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images for The Match)
Barkley flipped on that faster than 10 year old on a trampoline with that one. It only took him a couple months and the thought of losing $210 million to change his mind on that one.
But Barkely says the real reason he didn’t retire — and didn’t leave TNT — was because of the folks he keeps employed. Not because of the money.
“But for him, his top priority was keeping all the people employed whom he has worked with at TNT. He said: “As long as I got my people safe at TNT, man, I feel really good.”
He joked that he would actually have to do work had he gone to one of the other networks, so he was more than thrilled to stay at WBD (which still has March Madness, NHL and MLB playoff rights).”
That’s an awfully kind thing of Barkley to say. I’m not sure if I quite believe it all the way — again, he’s in the middle of a 10-year, $210 million deal with Turner and Warner Bros. Discovery. Walking away from that is not easy.
But, yes, him being around does keep a lot of the little people employed at the network. And, in the end, that’s a good thing. So, thanks, Chuck. You’re too kind.
Running on a broken leg
You thought Noah Lyles winning a bronze medal with COVID-19 was impressive? Try running with a broken leg.
That doesn’t even sound possible. Yet, that’s exactly what Rose Harvey of Great Britain did in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Charles Curtis writes:
“Rose Harvey of Great Britain finished 78th in the 2024 Paris Olympics women’s marathon event with a time of 2:51:03, but it turned out there was a reason she wasn’t a contender, and it’s the best reason you can have.
It turns out she ran on a broken leg. Seriously.
In an Instagram post, she had this to say: “A couple of miles in, I quickly realised that wasn’t going to happen. The next 24 miles were a painful battle. It turns out I had stress fractured my femur.”
Why did she continue? Because it was the Olympics.”
… WHAT?!?!? Running on a broken leg is wild, man. Here’s the full Instagram post.
Salute to Rose Harvey. She may not have medaled, but she’s a winner in my book.
Quick hits: Winning is getting expensive …
— Bettors in high tax states won’t be charged for a percentage of their winnings, Prince Grimes writes, but FanDuel and DraftKings are still finding ways to make bettors foot their bills.
History is not kind to quarterbacks who lose their Super Bowl debut
It is hard to make it to a Super Bowl. It is even harder to return, despite how easy Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes makes it look. But returning after you lost in your Super Bowl debut? Borderline impossible these days, if recent history has anything to say about it.
In eight of the last nine Super Bowls, the big game has featured at least one quarterback who was playing in his first one. The only exception being Super Bowl LV between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs with the aforementioned Brady and Mahomes. In two of them, Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LVI featured two teams with quarterbacks making their debut.
Super Bowl LVIII once again had a quarterback playing for the first time in Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers. Purdy suffered the fate of the previous two first time quarterbacks with a devastating loss. Now he is facing down the barrel of an unfortuantely long line he does not want to be in:
The last 18 quarterbacks who lost their Super Bowl debut as a starter did not, or have not, returned. Their names are, in decscending order…
Jalen Hurts
Joe Burrow
Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers, again)
Jared Goff
Matt Ryan
Cam Newton
Colin Kaepernick (49ers, again)
Rex Grossman
Matt Hasselbeck
Donovan McNabb
Jake Delhomme
Rich Gannon
Kerry Collins
Steve McNair
Chris Chandler
Drew Bledsoe
Neil O’Donnell
Stan Humphries
The one slight exception to this list might be Drew Bledsoe. After losing Super Bowl XXXI, Bledsoe remained the starting quarterback of the Patriots until his infamous injury in 2001, paving way for Tom Brady. Bledsoe remained a backup, but did guide New England to a win in the AFC Championship after filling in for an injured Brady in the second quarter. Still, this is a pretty big caveat to the norm.
Now, there is still plenty of time for Burrow, Hurts, Goff and even Purdy to find their way back. But as the first three names mentioned have found out, recapturing the success of the previous season is a Herculean effort. The 2022 Bengals made it back to the AFC Championship, but started 0-2 and narrowly lost the rematch to the Chiefs. The Eagles last year were 10-1 and suffered a monumental collapse to finish 11-6 and were blown out 32-9 in the Wild Card round. The Rams with Goff limped to 9-7 and missed the playoffs entirely following their 13-3 Super Bowl run in 2018.
The 49ers, after their previous two Super Bowl losses faced similar challenges. Kaepernick led San Francisco back to the NFC Championship the following year, and we all know how that one ended. The 2020 49ers, fresh off their first loss to Kansas City, absolutely cratered to 6-10 thanks to a slew of injuries on defense and to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Needless to say, there is unique pressure for Purdy in 2024. Not only will he be looking to fend off the best shot the NFC has to offer each week, he’ll be fighting against history as well.
Here’s a throwback for you. Mark Ingram’s 75-yard touchdown run against the San Francisco 49ers is the New Orleans Saints Play of the Day:
Our friends @xpe_sports asked us to clock Mark Ingram on this 75-yd TD vs. the #49ers. Ingram hit 21.5 mph, out running angles of 2 defenders w/ faster 40 times (thread). Play speed is 👑
There are 75 days left to go until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 season, so we’re highlighting one of the longest touchdown runs in franchise history. Mark Ingram II’s career-long 75-yard score against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium back in 2016 is our Saints Play of the Day.
It was the longest play from scrimmage of Ingram’s career, and it came at a critical juncture. The Saints were fighting to get to .500 after a 3-4 start to their season, and Colin Kaepernick had just scored on a 47-yard touchdown pass to DuJuan Harris to cut into New Orleans’ lead. Phil Dawson’s extra point attempt sailed through the uprights with 5:56 left in the first half.
The following kickoff was a touchback, and the Saints offense took the field at their own 25-yard line with 5:56 still on the clock. Ingram received the handoff from Drew Brees, found a hole in the San Francisco defensive front, then sprinted through their secondary to score from 75 yards out. Wil Lutz banged the extra point with 5:45 remaining.
Dennis Allen’s defense held up in the second half and the Saints returned to New Orleans with a 41-23 blowout win to their credit. They still finished at 7-9, but this season laid the groundwork for a greater successes to come in 2017 and the years ahead.
Roger Goodell had far more grace for Harrison Butker’s stance than he did for Colin Kapernick’s. It makes one wonder why. Or not.
During the most recent owners meetings on Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s comments during a commencement speech at Benedictine College, a liberal arts institution in Atchison, Kansas. This is the same college that once forced out gay basketball player Jallen Messersmith to remove a rainbow flag from his dorm room window.
Here was Goodell’s response, via Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports:
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Harrison Butker's commencement speech: "We have over 3,000 players. … They have a diversity of opinions & thoughts just like America does. I think that's something that we treasure & that's part of ultimately what makes us as a society better."
During his speech, Butker made some incendiary comments about Covid and President Biden, and then got around to what he perceives as a woman’s ultimate and rightful place: the kitchen.
“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on this stage today, able to be the man that I am, because I have a wife who leans into her vocation.
“I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all. Homemaker.”
Then, Butker got to what he termed the dangers of the “church of nice.”
“The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion,” Butker said. “We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority.”
Then, on to Pride Month, which takes place in June.
“Not the deadly sins sort of Pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the holy ghost to glorify him.”
Back in 2016, when Goodell was asked about Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand for the national anthem during games — a decision that eventually had him blackballed from the NFL, whether the NFL chooses to admit it or not — Goodell had this to say:
Well, my personal thoughts are… I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don’t live in a perfect society. We live in an imperfect society. On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that. I think it’s important to have respect for our country, for our flag, for the people who make our country better; for law enforcement, and for our military who are out fighting for our freedoms and our ideals.
These are all important things for us, and that moment is a very important moment. So, I don’t necessarily agree with what he is doing. We encourage our players to be respectful in that time and I like to think of it as a moment where we can unite as a country. And that’s what we need more, and that’s what I think football does – it unites our country. So I would like to see us focusing on our similarities and trying to bring people together.
Players have a platform, and it’s his right to do that. We encourage them to be respectful and it’s important for them to do that.
I think it’s important if they see things they want to change in society, and clearly we have things that can get better in society, and we should get better. But we have to choose respectful ways of doing that so that we can achieve the outcomes we ultimately want and do it with the values and ideals that make our country great.
Are we to infer from the differences in response that Goodell agrees with Butker’s views more than he agreed with Kaepernick’s? It’s hard to tell.
In any event, a bit more consistency would be a good thing. One might wonder where Goodell’s grace for Kaepernick’s opinions was … and one might already know.
A superstar was born and the Seahawks were on to the Super Bowl.
The NFL hasn’t seen a rivalry quite like the one the Seahawks and 49ers shared last decade. While they are still bitter division rivals, the animosity and the competition were on another level between these two when Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll were roaming the sidelines while Marshawn Lynch and Frank Gore were crashing into equally-lethal defensive fronts. The games were always close and intensely physical, the sobering sound of each tackle echoing an era of more brutal football.
10 years ago today was the peak of that rivalry – culminating in the 2013 NFC Championship game. Seattle clinched the win thanks to a tipped pass by Richard Sherman in the end zone that was intended for Michael Crabtree. A superstar was born and the Seahawks were on to the Super Bowl.
10 years ago tonight: The #Seahawks beat the #49ers in the NFC Championship Game, which led to a Richard Sherman all-time postgame interview.
"When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you gon' get."
Fast forward a decade and Sherman is now a part of the media class he so relentlessly mocked during his career, Colin Kaepernick has been blackballed since 2016, Harbaugh is a distant contender to replace Carroll as Seattle’s head coach and nobody’s heard from Crabtree in years.
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones remains sidelined after suffering a neck injury in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins and it’s unclear when, exactly, he’ll be able to return.
Reports suggest that Jones suffered weakness in his left arm and although some strength has returned, he is still not cleared for contact. The Giants are hopeful that he’ll be able to take the field in Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys, but that’s far from certain.
Compounding matters, veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Jones’ backup, suffered a serious rib cage injury on Sunday afternoon and remains hospitalized as of this writing.
With both Jones and Taylor ailing, the Giants are left with only practice squad quarterback Tommy DeVito on the roster. And that’s simply not going to cut it.
Unless Jones (or Taylor) makes a miraculous and unexpected recovery by the weekend, the Giants will be forced to sign a quarterback — potentially two. One to start and one to serve as a backup.
Panthers great Cam Newton: I said there’s not 32 guys that’s better than me. I still feel that way. I now know there’s not 64 guys that’s better than me.
Simple math will tell you that Cam Newton should still be in the NFL.
The Carolina Panthers great joined former Pro Bowl quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III for Thursday’s episode of RG and The Ones. And Griffin, who is also a fellow free agent, asked Newton about his unemployed status in the league.
“I said there’s not 32 guys that’s better than me. I still feel that way,” Newton stated. “I now know there’s not 64 guys that’s better than me. So when I go do the pro day, ‘Cam’s trying to do this, Cam’s trying do that.’ It’s like me basically talking to Skip Bayless, talking to Shannon Sharpe, talking to Stephen A. Smith, talking to Drew . . . whoever the hell it is. It’s like, bro, whatever y’all said for me not to do or, ‘Man, you going to have to humble yourself and do this and do that,’ I told y’all I can be a backup.”
The former Most Valuable Player did more than express his willingness to be a backup this past spring. He even provided an extensive list of players he’d be down to sit behind — including rookies Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson.
Newton’s larger-than-life personality and likability among players, however, may have teams balking at the idea of bringing him in to back up a young quarterback. The 34-year-old shot back at that idea.
“But now, the fact that I did it in a manner where it’s like — what do you tell your team, what do you tell your quarterback room if Cam Newton comes into that situation?” he added. “It’s bigger than just that. It’s bigger than just bringin’ on a talent. It’s almost similar — and I don’t want to just name-drop — but it’s like bringing Colin Kaepernick to the fold. What is that gonna bring?
“I can give you a perfect situation where it’s like, OK, Cam Newton’s in your quarterback meeting room, your starter is struggling — it’s going to create dysfunction in that specific way. I’m the ultimate pro. You never seen a teammate, a past teammate, say anything. It was always the outside looking in, like, ‘Man, I think Cam dress weird. I think he’s making it all about him.’ That never came from somebody who actually really knew me.”
During much of his decorated pro career, Newton had been poked at, and even criticized, for his clothing choices off the field. He also faced assumptions about his lack of leadership skills that were just as ridiculous and unfounded.
Regardless, Newton joked with Griffin — stating that he’s now a “YouTuber,” and is living his best life … somewhere in that No. 1-to-No. 32 range.
The Jets added veteran quarterback Trevor Siemian to their practice squad this week to add extra backup for Zach Wilson. They also received interest from another quarterback this week. That quarterback was Colin Kaepernick.
The former 49ers quarterback recently wrote a letter to Jets general manager Joe Douglas asking for a chance to join the team in the midst of their quarterback issues. However, he didn’t ask to jump right onto the main roster. He was willing to take a spot on the practice squad like Siemian ended up doing.
“I know that there are currently depth issues at the position, and I’ve heard that the backup spot is likely to be filled by a veteran quarterback,” Kaepernick wrote. “As much as I would love the opportunity to fill that spot, I’m writing you in hopes that you can imagine a much different approach involving me; I would be honored and extremely grateful for the opportunity to come in and lead the practice squad. I would do this with the sole mission of getting your defense ready each week.”
Kaepernick went on to write a number of reasons why his signing would help the team including giving the defense a “truer read on the more mobile/athletic/versatile quarterbacks it will face in Weeks 4, 5 and 6 (Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Jalen Hurts).”
Kaepernick isn’t saying he immediately needs to replace Zach Wilson but that this would give the Jets a “risk-free contingency plan.”
Kaepernick even added references to his letter, including Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, two of Kaepernick’s head coaches while with the 49ers as well as Ravens head coach and Jim’s brother John Harbaugh and Raiders owner Mark Davis.
Turning 36 in November, Kaepernick has not played in the league since 2016 for one reason or another. At this point, it’s hard to imagine he sets foot on any NFL field again let alone at MetLife Stadium.
