The Chicago Bears have a history with Jim Harbaugh. They drafted him in 1987 and eventually made him their starting quarterback in the early 1990s. He made the playoffs a couple of times and even won a playoff game. However, changes to the coaching staff eventually led to his exit. Still, a lot of fans still have fond memories of the energetic and fiery competitor he was.
It was hardly a surprise when he decided to enter the coaching ranks after retiring. A move that paid dividends right away. Harbaugh rose up the ranks as an assistant in the NFL before making his way to college where he became the head coach at Stanford. The program experienced lots of success under his watch. This inevitably drew interest from pro teams until finally, the San Francisco 49ers came calling.
It was a fun ride for the first three years.
The 49ers reached three consecutive NFC championship games from 2011 to 2013 and made the Super Bowl in 2012. His team came mere yards away from defeating the Ravens for a Lombardi trophy. Harbaugh’s profile couldn’t get much higher. Then in 2014, things went south fast. Rumors spread that a rift was growing between the coach and GM Trent Baalke over control of the roster.
Eventually, Baalke won out and Harbaugh was essentially fired after an 8-8 finish that season. The coach wasn’t unemployed for long. He was swiftly hired by his alma mater at Michigan where he’s remained to the present day. San Francisco went into a tailspin that took years to recover from. People wondered if Harbaugh’s time in the NFL was over for good.
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Not according to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.
Buzz is filtering through NFL front offices that Harbaugh is open to return to the league. And that brings into focus the fascinating question of whether an NFL franchise would be tempted by the duality of Harbaugh’s NFL tenure – a track record of winning that came with significant headaches.
“I just don’t hear his name out there anywhere,” said an industry source. “I would be surprised if it happens.”
Jim Harbaugh to the Bears is going to be a conversation
In many ways, it’s easy and difficult at the same time to understand the frustration of Michigan fans with Harbaugh. On the one hand, he’s failed to return the program to top tier status in college football, having failed to beat Ohio State in any of his previous five seasons as head coach. Anybody who understands the rivalry knows this is a BIG issue.
On the flip side, the man is easily the best coach they’ve had in a long time. After a brilliant run by Lloyd Carr in the 1990s and most of the 2000s, they had to endure seven years of mediocrity under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke during which they finished in a ranked position only once.
Harbaugh has accomplished that goal in four of his previous five seasons. So while he hasn’t cracked the final ceiling, he’s kept the program competitive. Even so, that isn’t enough for many and now it seems he may want to get back into the NFL game. Based on the reaction of people? There is one destination that makes way too much sense.
Straight Fire 11.6 🔥
🏈 Jim Harbaugh coaching the Chargers or Bears next year makes the most sense
🎙 @CFBONFOX’s @Robert26Smith on Clemson/ND & Harbaugh’s future
💸 4 NFL Best Bets (39-27-5)iTunes: https://t.co/CV3T5zFslo
— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) November 6, 2020
Jim Harbaugh – Possibility for the Bears? Yes please!
byu/GaryLaserEyes_ inCHIBears
@ChicagoBears The offensive scheme and play calling is horrible! The overall decision making by the head coach/OC is worse. The QB, O LINE play is horrible. There needs to be a change at the end of the season regardless of what happens! Jim Harbaugh?!
— Brian Hassett (@coachHassett15) November 1, 2020
https://twitter.com/kivi2323/status/1324367504949522432
Harbaugh to the Bears.
— Brett R Rump (@BrettRumpSports) November 2, 2020
Hey @ChicagoBears, can you send Pace over by @UMichFootball to kick the tires on Jim Harbaugh? For 35 years your “proud” franchise has been a complete joke and now is complete shit.
— kwattro (@kwattro110) November 2, 2020
This isn’t a surprise.
The connection between Jim Harbaugh and the Bears are obvious. There’s also the uncertainty surrounding Matt Nagy with eight games left in 2020. His offense remains a disaster and after a 5-1 start, the team has slipped to 5-3. What happens if the team fails to make the playoffs? There is a genuine belief he could be fired.
Many believe Harbaugh is the type of coach this team needs. A fiery guy who understands Chicago football and what it takes to win there. The man played here. He’s seen it done before. It makes sense, right? Well, that is sure to be a major debate if the opportunity comes up next offseason.