We’re at that point in the calendar year again. Various rumors suggesting that Jim Harbaugh will leave the Michigan Wolverines and return to the NFL.
Unlike previous iterations of these rumors, there’s some merit to this. Specifically, the link between Harbaugh and his former Chicago Bears team.
Set to finish up shop on yet another season without a winning record, Chicago will soon fire embattled head coach Matt Nagy. That’s already a foregone conclusion. So, why shouldn’t the Bears’ brass talk to Harbaugh? There’s about a million reasons why this should happen. Below, we look at three of them.
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Jim Harbaugh would be a major upgrade for the Chicago Bears
Putting our objective lens for a second, there’s no argument that can be made in which Nagy should be in the same conversation as Harbaugh. It’s not close. The two are from different planets.
- Jim Harbaugh NFL record: 44-19-1
- Matt Nagy NFL record: 34-30
See what we’re talking about? Actually, different galaxies. Harbaugh would bring a sense of respect back to a long-downtroden Bears organization, one that has to a large extent lacked relevancy on the broader NFL stage since the days of Mike Ditka. It also doesn’t hurt that Harbaugh played football under Ditka at Soldier Field.
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Justin Fields would benefit from Jim Harbaugh
Again putting on our objective lens, Harbaugh helped turn a raw Colin Kaepernick into a Super Bowl quarterback. Sure that situation didn’t end well, but it could bode well for Fields’ progression as a potential franchise quarterback in Chicago.
- Justin Fields stats (2021): 59% completion, 1,870 yards, 7 TD, 10 INT, 73.2 rating, 420 rushing yards, two touchdowns
The Bears invested a whole heck of alot to trade up for Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft. More than even their next head coach, he’s going to be the most important aspect of Chicago’s success moving forward. If Fields bombs out, irrelevancy will again be the name of the game. If he suceeds under Harbaugh, the Bears will be annual playoff contenders. It’s that simple.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Jim Harbaugh will bring great coaching staff with him to the Chicago Bears
Just look at the 49ers’ coaching staff under Harbaugh during his successful four-year run with the team. We’re talking about some of the best coordinators and position coaches in football.
- Offensive coordinator: Greg Roman
- Defensive coordinator: Vic Fangio
- Secondary: Ed Donatell
- Defensive line: Jim Tomsula
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There’s absolutely no reason to believe some of these coaches won’t follow Harbaugh to Chicago. Primarily, Fangio could be out of a job after three unsuccessful seasons as the Broncos’ head coach. In terms of his success as a defensive coordinator, Fangio led these Bears to two top-10 finishes in his final two seasons before taking over in Denver back in 2019. With the Broncos, this unit ranks No. 9 in 2021.
There’s also the possibility of bringing coaches from Michigan to Chicago. That includes respected offensive coordinator Josh Gattis as well as defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald — the latter of whom served under John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens for seven seasons before joining his brother in Ann Arbor.