Ever since the LA Chargers fired Brandon Staley following a 63-21 loss the biggest elephant in the room has been Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh quickly emerged as the fanbase's preferred candidate and that desire only grew when Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines won the National Championship.
Harbaugh has been flirting with a return to the NFL for years but has not had a job as good as this Chargers job open up. It is not a perfect job, but it is not every day that you can take over a team with a franchise quarterback who is young and one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL. Harbaugh himself knows this and reportedly loves Justin Herbert.
While Michigan prepared and won the National Championship the Chargers started to send out interview requests and conduct said interviews for the head coaching vacancy. Harbaugh was not among the early list of candidates as he was obviously busy throughout the first half of January.
That, however, is finally changing as Chargers fans have finally gotten the Jim Harbaugh update that they've been waiting for. Harbaugh is reportedly going to meet with the Chargers this week, which will kickstart a process that (hopefully) results in him becoming the head coach.
From @NFLGameDay: The Jim Harbaugh sweepstakes are heating up, as he's set to meet with the #Chargers. Meanwhile, Maxx Crosby could request a trade if the #Raiders don't hire Antonio Pierce. pic.twitter.com/J3X80cumW8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2024
Jim Harbaugh coaching the Chargers finally has real legs after confirmed interview
Harbaugh interviewing with the Chargers does not mean that he is guaranteed to coach the team but this is a huge first step. While he could just use this as leverage to get more out of Michigan, this shows real interest and proves that the months-long speculation was valid.
In addition to this great Harbaugh update, Ian Rapoport dropped the icing on the cake in the second half of the video above. There have been several Raiders players who are going to bat for Antonio Pierce this offseason and do not want to see ownership hire a different head coach. That support is so strong that Maxx Crosby may request a trade if the Raiders were to hire anyone else.
Crosby is the face of the franchise and the leader of that locker room. If he is willing to request a trade because of this then it is safe to say there will be huge ripple effects on the rest of the locker room if Pierce doesn't get the job.
This obviously helps the Chargers as the Raiders have been viewed as the biggest NFL competitor for Harbaugh. Los Angeles still has to compete with Michigan and while that will be an uphill battle, it is great news for the Bolts that nobody in Vegas wants Pierce to leave.
We'll see what comes of the discussions, but either way, you can score a guaranteed $150 sign-up bonus from FanDuel Sportsbook for any $5 bet today! Deposit at least $10 and bet $5 or more on any game right now and you'll get $150 in bonus bets win or lose. Give your bankroll the boost it deserves - sign up for FanDuel now!