Jim Harbaugh last coached an NFL game back in December of 2014 when he was manning the sidelines for the San Francisco 49ers.
Since then, Harbaugh has returned the Michigan Wolverines college football program back to national relevance.
It now looks like the Super Bowl head coach could very well be headed back to the NFL as the next face of the Minnesota Vikings’ franchise.
We reported earlier that Harbaugh had met with the Vikings. Said meeting came over the phone to gauge his interest in heading to Minneapolis. The two sides will now meet in person with the likelihood of Harbaugh heading to the Vikings increasing by the minute.
“The Vikings plan to fly in Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for an interview Wednesday in Minnesota, per sources. The sides spoke Saturday to gauge Harbaugh’s interest in the head coaching job. Now, another big step towards Harbaugh potentially returning to the NFL.”
NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on Jim Harbaugh to the Vikings
Related: Why Jim Harbaugh to the Minnesota Vikings makes sense
Jim Harbaugh could be heading to the Minnesota Vikings
Pelissero also noted that San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans has declined a second interview with the Vikings. Instead, the up-and-coming coach wants to “further his development” in San Francisco. That’s surprising in and of itself.
As for Harbaugh potentially replacing the recently-fired Mike Zimmer as Minnesota’s head coach, there’s certainly a connection here. The Vikings just hired former Cleveland Browns Vice President of Football Operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to be their next general manager.
The connection? Harbaugh and Adofo-Mensah worked together in San Francisco for two seasons. The two apparently have a great relationship.
- Jim Harbaugh NFL coaching record: 44-19-1, three NFC Championship Game appearance, one Super Bowl appearance
As you can see, the former NFL quarterback had a tremendous amount of success with San Francisco from 2011-14. Said relationship ended in a bitter way with Harbaugh failing to get a long with 49ers CEO Jed York and then-general manager Trent Baalke.
Most recently, Harbaugh led his Wolverines to the College Football Playoffs this past season. The two sides had been engaged in contract extension negotiations prior to this news surrounding the Vikings breaking.
Minnesota isn’t the only head coach opening Harbaugh has been linked to. Various reports over the weekend indicated that he was drawing interest from the Miami Dolphins. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders had interest before officially hiring Josh McDaniels on Monday.
Stay tuned!