The Los Angeles Chargers, who finished the 2023 season with a dismal 5-12 record, were poised Wednesday to hire Jim Harbaugh away from the University of Michigan to become the team’s next head coach.
ESPN reported Wednesday afternoon that the team had reached a deal with Harbaugh, who was sought after by multiple NFL teams following his national championship season with the Wolverines.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Chargers, however, as news reports about Harbaugh began spreading, the team posted a short video on social media Wednesday afternoon showing a metal chimney emanating white smoke — a reference to the signal issued by the Vatican when a new pope is chosen.
The team later posted “Who’s got it better than us??”
Harbaugh, 60, has coached Michigan — his alma mater — since 2015. He was head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14 — taking the team to the Super Bowl in the 2012 season — and was a quarterbacks coach with the Oakland Raiders in 2002-03. Between those gigs, he was head coach at the University of San Diego and at Stanford.
His championship season with Michigan was marred by a pair of three-game suspensions Harbaugh served. The first was a self-imposed suspension at the beginning of the season for alleged recruiting violations, while the second came at the end of the season due to a Big Ten sign-stealing probe. The NCAA’s investigation into the sign-stealing scandal continues, with Michigan and Harbaugh still facing additional possible sanctions.
Harbaugh’s brother, John, is head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, the AFC’s top seed and a Super Bowl favorite this year.
If confirmed, Harbaugh will replace Brandon Staley, who was fired in mid-December as the Chargers season continued to unravel. General Manager Tom Telesco was also fired.
Staley was hired by the Chargers in 2021, accumulating a record of 24-24 in that time. Telesco has been the general manager since 2013.
The Chargers have had high expectations since quarterback Justin Herbert took over the offense, but the team has persistently under-performed. The team has not appeared in a playoff game since 2018.