With Matt Nagy’s job hanging by a threat, it’s becoming apparent the Chicago Bears could resume their hunt for a long-term answer at head coach. As usual in these situations, the rumors have started to fly. One of the most persistent centers around Jim Harbaugh. This isn’t a huge surprise. The Michigan head coach himself seems on his way out and everybody believes he’ll make his way back to the NFL. Having been a quarterback for the Bears in the late 1980s and early ’90s, it’s an easy connection to make.

His success in San Francisco can’t be ignored. Three NFC championship game appearances and a Super Bowl berth. He revived the career of Alex Smith and got a lot out of Colin Kaepernick. The man still has a lot of admirers despite the recent misfortunes in Ann Arbor. Some think his hard-nosed, energetic style would be a great fit for the Bears. However, it appears they aren’t the favorite to hire him.

You’ll have to look further east to find that team.

NFL insider Albert Breer of the MMQB addressed the Harbaugh situation in a recent column. He acknowledged that the Bears are an obvious talking point, but they shouldn’t be considered the prime landing spot. That could end up being the New York Jets. This thanks not to interest from GM Joe Douglas but somebody even higher up the chain.

“The place he has the most obvious connection is Chicago, given he was a first-round pick there. But I’d just keep an eye on the Jets. Owner Woody Johnson’s affection for Harbaugh has been no secret to those who’ve worked in Florham Park over the last decade. Of course, Johnson still hasn’t returned from his ambassadorship in the U.K., which will be coming to an end shortly, and his reentry plan to the team is unclear.

So there’s still some uncertainty here. That said, Johnson interviewed Harbaugh for his coaching job all the way back in 2009, and has kept tabs on him since, even covertly taking his temperature on interest in the Jets at points over the years.”

One can bet Johnson isn’t happy with the state of the Jets and has plans for big changes when he resumes control. Going after a coach he’s coveted for years would make sense. Harbaugh would likely inherit the #1 overall pick and Trevor Lawrence as his quarterback. So he’d be pretty well setup from the start.

Would the Bears even want Jim Harbaugh?

This is a question people aren’t asking enough. There is no doubt the coach would probably jump at the chance to take over this team regardless of the state it’s in. Most believe this is his NFL dream job. The problem is it takes two to tango. Would George McCaskey be willing to give that idea a chance? Remember the Bears have preferred to avoid head coaches who are on the bombastic side ever since Mike Ditka wore out his welcome.

Harbaugh is well-known for being a fiery guy on and off the field. That combined with his recent downturn of success makes him far less appealing. Everything I’ve heard to this point is that he’s on the list of possible Bears interviews but he is not anywhere near the top. It’s quite possible McCaskey ends up finding his next guy before even giving Jim Harbaugh a phone call. Not to mention he’ll leave the decision up to the next GM (presuming Pace is fired) anyway.

Suffice to say the avenues for Harbaugh back to the NFL are limited.

He better hope Johnson’s interest is still strong after all these years and that Douglas would sign off on the idea of him as head coach. The GM was already saddled with keeping Adam Gase. Having another guy hired against his wishes probably wouldn’t lead to the best relationship. If that falls through, Harbaugh shouldn’t count on the Bears to save him.