On Friday, Jim Harbaugh paid a special visit to the national championship trophy along with a few Michigan players.
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Harbaugh and Co. visited Mott Children’s Hospital to interact with children and display the trophy that the Wolverines won earlier this week.
For some hospital patients, Harbaugh and Michigan’s move undoubtedly made their day.
After defeating Alabama in an exciting overtime thriller in the semifinals, Michigan defeated Washington in the CFP title game on Monday to complete an undefeated season. It’s Michigan’s first championship since 1997.
This season, the Wolverines had to deal with two suspensions for head coach Jim Harbaugh: one for recruiting infractions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the other for Michigan’s alleged sign-stealing scandal.
Michigan can now unwind and take pleasure in the ongoing festivities.
Harbaugh will take some time to digest the victory, but he must make a choice. According to reports, Michigan extended the ninth-year head coach’s contract for ten years at a cost of $125 million, making him one of the highest-paid head coaches in college football. He has allegedly also been connected to a potential return to the NFL.
Harbaugh will keep celebrating the title with his team and the Michigan community for the time being.
READ ALSO:
Raiders star players continue to push Jim Harbaugh straight to the Chargers
Jim Harbaugh is the only name Chargers supporters are worried about when it comes to the team’s head coaching search. Strangely enough, while he is still enjoying the Michigan Wolverines’ National Championship, Harbaugh is not one of the coaches that the Chargers have asked to speak with.
On paper, the Bolts appear to be the ideal team for Harbaugh to return to the NFL, and he is undoubtedly the Chargers’ best-case scenario hire. Despite the salary-cap issues, Los Angeles has the only available position with a franchise quarterback and a strong core of young players.
However, the Chargers are not the only team vying for Harbaugh. The Las Vegas Raiders are also closely associated with Harbaugh, and Ed Dodds, a general manager with ties to Harbaugh, may be the next hire. As of right now, the Chargers, Raiders, and going back to Michigan appear to be Harbaugh’s realistic options.
The Raiders have exactly one issue. Halfway through the 2023 season, interim head coach Antonio Pierce replaced Josh McDaniels and gained the support of the locker room. The franchise’s star player, Maxx Crosby, has now joined Davante Adams in endorsing Pierce for the head coaching position.
Crosby is doing more than just endorsing Pierce. He is, as Ian Rapoport puts it above, drawing the boundary. I’m not sure what else could have been a clear message to the Raiders if that one.
Jim Harbaugh might be pushed by Raiders players to lead the Chargers.
On paper, the Chargers already appear to be Harbaugh’s better fit, but this move solidifies that impression. In order to coach a team without a franchise quarterback in a locker room full of players who might not want to play for him from day one, Harbaugh shouldn’t feel the need to turn down the Chargers job offer.
This does not imply that Harbaugh will lead the Chargers in training for the upcoming season, as he could very well return to Michigan. However, it’s possible that none of the reports linking Harbaugh to the Raiders are relevant.
Harbaugh is undoubtedly someone Vegas should be interested in, and it wouldn’t be shocking if Mark Davis prioritizes hiring him. But regardless of Davis’s wishes, the players ultimately have the power to influence this entire process.
And in the long run, that makes the Chargers the real winners. Chargers supporters can thank Pierce and the Raiders directly if Harbaugh ends up in Los Angeles.
