With speculation already rampant that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh might return to the NFL next year, there already is at least one vacancy.
The Las Vegas Raiders fired Josh McDaniels late on Halloween night, ending a disastrous 25-game stint a day after the team lost 26-14 at Detroit in front of a Monday Night Football audience.
Harbaugh was installed as the +500 favorite by SportsBetting.ag to be the Raiders’ next head coach. Ironically, the next shortest odds belong to Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson at +700.
Next Raiders Head Coach Odds
Jim Harbaugh (+500)
Ben Johnson (+700)
Frank Smith (+800)
Dan Quinn (+900)
Jim Schwartz (+900)
Kellen Moore (+1000)
Antonio Pierce (+1200)
Brian Flores (+1200)
Brian Johnson (+1200)
Ejiro Evero (+1200)
Ken Dorsey (+1200)
Mike Macdonald (+1200)
Raheem Morris (+1200)
Rich Bisaccia (+1200)
Eric Bieniemy (+1400)
Jerod Mayo (+1400)
Lincoln Riley (+1400)
Shane Waldron (+1400)
Lou Anarumo (+1600)
Bill Belichick (+3300)
Charles Woodson (+5000)
Deion Sanders (+5000)
Jon Gruden (+10000)
Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines currently are being investigated for potential sign-stealing violations. Should Harbaugh be suspended for any length of time by the NCAA, the NFL may impose the same length ban if he returns to the league, according to an NFL.com report over the weekend.
The Wolverines currently are undefeated and were ranked third in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night. Harbaugh also denied reports that Michigan has pulled a contract extension offer that would have made him the highest paid coach in the Big Ten.
Speculation still is rampant that Harbaugh, who will turn 60 on Dec. 23, would be interested in returning to an NFL sideline in 2024. He took over Michigan in 2015 following a four-year stint as the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach.
Harbaugh began his coaching career with the Raiders, serving as the quarterbacks coach under Bill Callahan from 2002-03 before landing his first head coaching job at the University of San Diego in 2004.
Johnson, meanwhile, is in his second season as the Lions’ offensive coordinator and is expected to draw wide interest for coaching vacancies this offseason.
Similarly, Frank Smith (+800), is in his second season as the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator. He served as the Raiders’ tight ends coach from 2018-2020 before spending a year on the Chargers’ staff.
All three could be coveted by multiple teams this offseason. While McDaniels was the first coach to be fired – he didn’t even make it to the halfway point of the season – several others remain on the proverbial hot seat.
The book is also offering odds on the next NFL coach to be fired, with the Washington Commanders’ Ron Rivera moving to the front at +150.
Next NFL Coach Fired
Ron Rivera, Commanders (+150)
Matt Eberflus, Bears (+200)
Matt Lafleur, Packers (+600)
Brandon Staley, Chargers (+1100)
Todd Bowles, Buccaneers (+1200)
Kevin O’Connell, Vikings (+1400)
Mike Vrabel, Titans (+1600)
Dennis Allen, Saints (+2800)
Kevin Stefanski, Browns (+2800)
Bill Belichick, Patriots (+3300)
(Odds provided for entertainment purposes only. SportsBetting.ag is not a regulated sportsbook in the United States.)
–Field Level Media