NFL Rumors: Jim Harbaugh to Chargers heats up as Brandon Staley struggles

Despite making the playoffs in 2022, the biggest storyline surrounding the LA Chargers was the NFL rumors revolving around Sean Payton. All season it seemed like the Bolts were on a collision course with Payton, who instead ended up being hired by the Denver Broncos.

While it did not happen, fans still are not very happy with head coach Brandon Staley. Staley was already on thin ice after the blown 27-0 lead in the AFC Wild Card Round. He and the team had to come out of the gates hot to get that bitter taste out of the fanbase's mouth.

The opposite has happened. Los Angeles has started the season with an 0-2 record, dropping two winnable games. Defensively, the Chargers have been awful and the team has shown multiple examples already of being a poorly-coached football team.

Alas, the NFL rumors about the future of the Chargers' head coach position have started yet again. Instead of Sean Payton, though, speculation has now begun around a different polarizing head coach: Michigan's Jim Harbaugh.

NFL Rumors: Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers starts to heat up

Obviously, there is nothing concrete but it would not be surprising if this was meant to lay the groundwork for a potential move in the future. Information like this doesn't just get out to the media. It is often planted with intent, especially if the source in question is someone from Harbaugh's camp.

Harbaugh has flirted with a return to the NFL multiple times since he moved to Michigan. It has not materialized yet but there also has not been a job quite like the Chargers. Harbaugh would get it all if he were to come coach the Bolts; a big market with resources, a franchise quarterback and the ability to live in sunny Los Angeles during the winter.

All of the same reasons why Payton reportedly wanted the Chargers job carries over to Harbaugh. And in this case, the Chargers would not have to trade draft picks to Michigan in order to make it happen. That alone makes it more plausible.

The biggest hang-up on this ever happening is the Spanos family's willingness to pay a head coach big money. Harbaugh would demand one of the biggest salaries in the sport and the Chargers are a team that notoriously goes with cheaper options at head coach.

But then again, after watching the last three head coaches that Tom Telesco has hired, the Spanos family may change its mind. Either way, the possibility of Harbaugh returning to the NFL and coaching the Chargers should not be ruled out.