NFL insider pours cold water on Chargers fans' Jim Harbaugh dreams

The LA Chargers are in search of the franchise's next head coach after firing Brandon Staley last week. After seeing a third first-time head coach fail in a row, many Chargers fans are hoping for an experienced coach who knows what it takes to win. As a result, Jim Harbaugh has become the dream candidate for the fanbase.

Harbaugh is currently preparing Michigan for the College Football Playoff but there is a chance that he jumps to the NFL. Harbaugh has flirted with making the jump to the NFL in recent years and there is not better job to jump to than one with a quarterback he reportedly loves in Justin Herbert.

If Michigan wins the National Championship then there is nothing left for Harbaugh to accomplish. After a controversial season, coaching in the NFL in sunny Los Angeles for a lot of money seems like a great idea.

But could this all just be a pipe dream for Chargers fans? Perhaps. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler recently poured cold water all over fans' Harbaugh dream, as the feeling he is getting throughout the league is that the Chargers won't meet the required demands to hire Harbaugh.

"But some around the league are skeptical that the Chargers would relinquish power and/or meet the financial demands for a candidate such as Harbaugh. "

Chargers may skimp out again, this time with Jim Harbaugh

This has been the story of the Chargers franchise for a long time. Ownership has not been willing to invest a lot of resources into certain areas of the operation, including at head coach. There is a reason why Brandon Staley was hired on one of the cheapest deals in the league. after all.

There are some signs that this might finally change. Chargers president John Spanos did tell the media that there were not any restrictions, including financially. But does he actually mean that? Or is he just saving face in the media knowing that isn't true?

The roster control dynamic might be a hard one to swallow as well. Harbaugh has absolutely earned the right to demand that from the team and he has the leverage to do so. This isn't a situation like with Bill Belichick where Harbaugh has been a horrible GM for multiple seasons. But then again, is John Spanos going to be willing to swallow any pride and allow Harbaugh this level of control?

This is going to be one of the most compelling head coach searches in recent NFL history. Harbaugh holds all the cards and he can leverage both the Chargers and Michigan, which he has done in the past.

As long as the Chargers put the right foot forward then fans cannot be mad at the organization if Harbaugh decides he wants to stay at Michigan. But if Harbaugh only stays because the Chargers were cheap, well then the team will run into the exact same problems as before.