Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh has been linked to several NFL teams, including the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.
The Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett after an embarrassing Week 16 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Panthers replaced head coach Mike Rhule with Steve Wilks back in October, but the team hasn’t yet announced if the latter will retain the HC role for next season.
In an update, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones provided an interesting update on the Harbaugh-Panthers rumors. It appears as though Harbaugh is more interested in coming to Carolina than vice versa, as the former San Francisco 49ers’ head coach has been the one initiating talks:
“Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper did indeed have a phone conversation recently with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. But the Panthers owner didn’t initiate the call.
Sources tell CBS Sports that Harbaugh — or his representation — had been calling Tepper with some regularity in recent weeks. Tepper eventually held a conversation with Harbaugh, but it was never characterized as a job interview for the permanent head coaching job in Carolina…
Reports out of Minnesota about Harbaugh’s interview last year with the Vikings made Tepper wary, sources say. A lengthy interview between the Vikings and Harbaugh last January didn’t result in an offer, and sources describe Harbaugh’s behavior during the interview as “odd.”
If Harbaugh wants to make the jump to the NFL, there surely won’t be a shortage of interested teams. His track records in the NCAA and the NFL speak for themselves.
Harbaugh coached the 49ers from 2011 to 2014, leading the team to three straight NFC Championship Game appearances and a trip to Super Bowl 47. And given his success in turning Michigan back into a powerhouse, it’s no wonder that NFL clubs are interested in bringing him aboard.
