NFL Rumors: Jim Harbaugh to Chargers takes yet another turn

Even though he is preparing his team to play in the College Football Playoff, the biggest story around Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is whether or not he is going to make the jump to the NFL. Harbaugh has specifically been tied to the LA Chargers, who have a head coach and general manager opening.

Harbaugh has previous ties to the Chargers and a reported love for Justin Herbert. The former San Francisco 49ers head coach has flirted with a return to the NFL for years and reportedly even did work behind the scenes to potentially replace Brandon Staley after the 2022 season.

This Harbaugh saga has consumed Chargers media (sorry to any recurring readers who may be sick of reading about it) but it continues to take new twists and turns. That once again happened on Saturday, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Chargers have sent out "feelers" on Harbaugh (Harbaugh segment starts at 2:10).

NFL Rumors: Chargers' interest in Jim Harbaugh is very real

It has been previously reported that there was some interest in Harbaugh from the Chargers' side of things. That report didn't feel like anything new, as of course, the Chargers would be interested in Harbaugh. With a head coach opening, they should be interested in any potential good candidate, even if they don't become available (like Mike Tomlin).

But this is something different. This is an NFL insider reporting that the Chargers have put out feelers and have done some work behind the scenes. This doesn't just get reported. There has to be tangible interest and work done on the Chargers part for Fowler to go on national television and relay this information.

Does this mean that Harbaugh is definitely coming to LA? Not at all. The ball is still very much in Harbaugh's court and he can leverage both Michigan and the Chargers to get what he wants. But at the very least, the Chargers are at least seemingly taking this seriously.

If Harbaugh doesn't end up with the Chargers it will likely be because he wanted to return to Michigan, not because the Chargers were too cheap or didn't want to hire Harbaugh in the first place. That is a huge relief for Chargers fans.