Getty Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell
Almost two years ago, the Minnesota Vikings were so close to hiring Jim Harbaugh that he had already made his round of goodbyes at Michigan.
Something happened during Harbaugh’s interview, which spanned over 12 hours, that left the Vikings’ power brokers skittish, ultimately deciding to hire Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell instead.
Since he took over as Vikings head coach, O’Connell has led the team to a 20-14 record with one week remaining in the 2023 regular season.
But after failing to maximize his backup quarterbacks in the wake of Kirk Cousins‘ season-ending Achilles injury on October 29, O’Connell’s legitimacy as a quarterback whisperer and offensive guru has taken a hit. Minnesota is virtually out of the playoff picture with a 2.5% chance of making the postseason, per ESPN’s Power Index,
And that has rekindled pitches for the Vikings to make it right with Harbaugh, who has received a 10-year, $125 million deal to stay at Michigan but recently hired one of the NFL’s top agents to represent him ahead of the offseason.
The Viking Age’s Adam Patrick proposed the Vikings should pursue Harbaugh again as the veteran head coach is one game away from leading the undefeated and No. 1-ranked Wolverines (14-0) to a national championship.
From Patrick:
If the goal for the Vikings is to win a Super Bowl within the next few years, then making another attempt to hire Harbaugh as their head coach might be something for them to consider.
Harbaugh has already had success in the past as an NFL head coach when he was with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, and what he’s helped Michigan accomplish in the last two years cannot be ignored.
O’Connell might be able to eventually lead Minnesota to a Super Bowl win during his tenure with the franchise, but Harbaugh might be the guy who can help the franchise get that championship victory much sooner.
Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh Transformed 49ers Into Super Bowl Contenders Overnight
GettyFormer San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh stands on the field before a game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Harbaugh deserves plenty of credit for turning the San Francisco 49ers into an overnight Super Bowl contender over 10 years ago.
Taking over a 6-10 49ers team in 2011, Harbaugh led San Francisco to a 13-3 regular season record and an NFC Championship game appearance. The 49ers became staples in the conference title game with Harbaugh for three seasons, breaking through to the Super Bowl in 2013.
Harbaugh lost to his brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl that year, but the future looked bright for San Francisco. That was until conflict began to bubble internally between Harbaugh and the front office.
Much has been made public about Harbaugh’s falling out with the 49ers. The franchise fired him for going 8-8 in 2014 despite coming off three consecutive conference championship appearances and the Super Bowl in 2013. He compiled a 44-19-1 regular-season record in four seasons along with a 5-3 postseason record.
Jim Harbaugh’s History With 49ers Impacted Vikings Interview
GettyHead coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines.
Harbaugh has shown to be the type of leader to galvanize and elevate a locker room quickly, but it’s very much his way or the highway.
His leadership has proven to work at the NFL level and he’s shown he can win over a younger generation of players at Michigan since.
The only rift that remains questionable in the Vikings’ talks with Harbaugh likely is his conflict with the 49ers front office.
Michigan insider John U. Bacon detailed the stakes of Harbaugh’s interview. While the Wolverines coach felt he was assured the job with his history with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, there were several hurdles he had to clear to convince the Vikings’ owners.
Harbaugh had to “convince the Wilf family his approach is sufficiently modern in the midst of a youth movement,” Bacon wrote in February 2022 in a thread on X (formerly Twitter). “More importantly, he has to quell the rumors that he’s too difficult to deal with.
“Today will boil down to a simple contest,” Bacon added. “Will the Wilfs believe 49ers owner Jed York and Vikings minority owner Jim Stapleton, or their own general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah? And that may come down to how Harbaugh performs in today’s day-long interview.”
The Vikings ultimately did not feel secure with hiring Harbaugh. It’s a long shot for ownership to make any sudden changes with O’Connell only in his second year, the Wilfs have made drastic changes after losing crucial games to the Green Bay Packers before.
According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, the Wilfs, normally present in the locker room after every game, win or lose, did not visit the team after a 33-10 loss to Green Bay on New Year’s Eve.