After weeks of speculation and all signs pointing to it happening, it finally became official on Wednesday. National Championship-winning head coach Jim Harbaugh has accepted an offer to be the next head coach of the LA Chargers.
This is the move that every Chargers fan wanted and now the team has someone who can restart the culture and build a winning system in Los Angeles. Harbaugh has been successful everywhere he has coached and there is no reason to believe that the Chargers won't be any different.
Harbaugh is not coming alone. The team also needs to hire a general manager with Brandon Brown and Ed Dodds seeming like the favorite because of their relationships to Harbaugh. Harbaugh is also going to have to assemble his new coaching staff in LA, which is bound to cause some changes.
There are favorites for each coordinator position on the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh
While nothing has been set in stone yet, the conversation around who Harbaugh would bring with him to the Chargers has already been had. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the most likely coordinators for the Chargers are Greg Roman (offensive), Jesse Minter (defensive) and Jay Harbaugh (special teams).
How might a potential Jim Harbaugh @CoachJim4UM staff look should he be offered and accept #Chargers job? Per league sources, offensive coordinator could be Greg Roman, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh, Jim's son @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 23, 2024
Of the three candidates, Minter is the most exciting. Minter has previous NFL experience and has worked for both Harbaugh brothers. Minter helped build one of the best defenses in the nation with Michigan and him making the leap alongside Harbaugh makes sense for all parties involved.
The other two coordinators are a bit more concerning. Greg Roman was Harbaugh's offensive coordinator in San Francisco and most recently was the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Roman knows what it takes to fix a running game and build that from the ground up but his play-calling is concerning and his offense doesn't necessarily match Justin Herbert's skill set.
All that being said, Harbaugh is a good coach and he is not going to ask Roman (if he is hired) to fit a square peg into a round hole. The offense will be built around Herbert and will hopefully also have a better rushing attack.
Jay Harbaugh would be a bit of a nepotism hire but if that is what it takes then so be it. As great as Ryan Ficken has been over the last two seasons, the Chargers would have been very foolish to pass on Harbaugh so they could keep Ficken.
If Roman and Jay Harbaugh are not the chosen coordinators then keeping Kellen Moore and Ficken in their respective roles makes the most sense from a continuity standpoint. Minter, meanwhile, feels like a near-guarantee that he will jump ship to the NFL with Harbaugh.