The Los Angeles Chargers have reportedly hired Jim Harbaugh as the team’s new head coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Harbaugh has been the head coach at Michigan since 2015. Prior to that, he coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014. Harbaugh had a Super Bowl appearance with the 49ers and is coming off a College Football Playoff win with Michigan. He replaces Brandon Staley, who was let go following a 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15. Giff Smith was Los Angeles’ interim head coach.
In Los Angeles, he’ll work with quarterback Justin Herbert, who has just one playoff appearance in four seasons in the NFL. Harbaugh was considered one of the premier coaching candidates this cycle, and he now joins a Chargers team that also is looking to hire a general manager. Los Angeles will play the Steelers in 2024, as the Chargers are scheduled to come to Acrisure Stadium.
In addition to the Chargers, the Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and New York Jets at home in 2024.
Harbaugh returns to the team that he finished his career with, as he played quarterback for the Chargers in 1999 and 2000. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston tweeted that Harbaugh’s potential staff could include former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman as the offensive coordinator for Los Angeles, with Jesse Minter following Harbaugh from Michigan to Los Angeles to serve as defensive coordinator.
With Herbert at quarterback, a solid defense led by Joey Bosa, Derwin James, and Asante Samuel Jr., and the fifth overall pick, the Chargers were an attractive destination for Harbaugh, who had no shortage of options. He also interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons, but the Chargers worked hard to secure him as their head coach of the future. We’ll see if he can get the Super Bowl in Los Angeles that he never could in San Francisco.
