Anybody with common sense knows what the conversations around the Chicago Bears will be for the next month. What fate awaits GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy? Barring a miraculous four-game sweep down the stretch, this team will miss the playoffs for the ninth time in the past 10 years. That combined with Nagy’s failure to elevate the offense to any sort of respectability is grounds enough to fire him. That is why replacements are such a heavy topic of discussion. Almost all of them have to start with Jim Harbaugh.

This is the elephant in the room. One of the hot topics of college football for several months is Harbaugh’s status as head coach at Michigan. There is a growing belief the 56-year old is looking for an exit door back to the NFL and that there will be interest in his services. This despite how much the Wolverines have struggled this season at 2-4.

Plenty of Bears fans have opinions on this.

Some would love it, feeling his deep ties to the organization (quarterback from 1987 to 1992) and fiery, hard-nosed approach would be great for this team. Many others want nothing to do with him. If he couldn’t raise the profile at a place like Michigan, why should they have any sort of hope that he could do any better in Chicago?

One notable insider feels Harbaugh might be getting judged a little too harshly. When asked about who the Bears could look to at head coach moving forward, Benjamin Allbright of Pro Football Network immediately brought up his name. Not just because of the obvious connections either. He feels the coach would be good for the team and explained why.

“I would suggest the possibility of luring Jim Harbaugh away from Michigan, I think that would be a good thing for the Bears. I know a lot of people might groan about that but I always thought he was a better coach for the pro game anyway. He’s had success building up just about every place he’s been outside of Michigan. If they can convince him I think it would be a good move.”

Jim Harbaugh wins but he also doesn’t last

There are arguments both for and against Harbaugh. To this point, he’s been a head coach at four different stops: San Diego, Stanford, San Francisco 49ers, and Michigan. All told he is 156-71 in terms of overall record. Suffice to say he wins a lot wherever he goes. He’s only had two losing records to his name in 17 seasons. One was his first year at Stanford and the other was this year. A season ravaged by COVID-19.

He’s also won some big games. His Cardinal team won the Orange Bowl in 2010. His 49ers won the NFC championship in 2012 and came a missed pass interference call away from winning the Super Bowl. The guy understands how to get the most out of his players. That isn’t the big issue. It’s whether he has sustainability. Don’t forget this other key talking point.

For all his winning, Harbaugh only lasted more than four seasons for one team.

Is this just a coincidence or a sign of a disturbing trend? For example, there were rampant rumors in San Francisco towards the end of his tenure that Harbaugh’s disciplined style and relentless energy started to wear on the players. Enough to where they grew tired of him. To say nothing of the power struggle he got into with former 49ers GM Trent Baalke.

Jim Harbaugh is an accomplished head coach but teams always prefer somebody who can have staying power. Thus far his six seasons at Michigan are the longest stay he’s had anywhere and a lot of people wouldn’t call that run a major success. This is why a lot of Bears fans are so against him. That fear he’ll be gone within five years and they’ll have to do this all over again.

It will be interesting to see if the organization decides to, pardon the pun, poke that bear.