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Many Chicago Bears fans and analysts wanted current Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh to return to the Windy City to lead the team he once played for.
That didn’t happen, as team chairman George McCaskey hired general manager Ryan Poles, who in turn selected his top choice, former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, to be the 17th coach in franchise history.
Now, Harbaugh is the favorite to land the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy and if he gets the job, he’ll be coaching against the Bears twice a year.
“Jim Harbaugh is headed to Minnesota for a Wednesday interview, but multiple sources say it’s a formality,” Chris Balas of TheWolverine.com reported on Tuesday, February 1, adding:
“Harbaugh heads there planning to sign a deal to become the NFL Vikings’ head coach. Harbaugh was not in his office at Schembechler Hall this afternoon. Other sources told TheWolverine.com that while he didn’t address the team, he did say some ‘goodbyes’ and ‘thank yous’ yesterday.”
While some are upset Chicago didn’t try to bring Harbaugh in to replace the recently-fired Matt Nagy, top Bears insider Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog shed more light on why it didn’t happen.
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Hughes: Harbaugh Is Anything But Stable
Hughes — who has been on top of the team’s coaching search from the beginning — tweeted on January 25 that Harbaugh wanted a long-term contract worth around $100 million, but McCaskey and company balked at shelling out that kind of money after the Las Vegas Raiders offered the same type of contract to former coach Jon Gruden.
Gruden’s $100 million deal for 10 years turned into a bit of a cautionary tale after he resigned amid scandal early in the 2021 NFL season, and Hughes says McCaskey wasn’t willing to make that kind of decade-long commitment to Harbaugh. Additionally, when McCaskey interviewed Ryan Poles for general manager — who he eventually hired — McCaskey felt confident he had the leader he wanted.
“I wanted Bears to go all-in and hand him the keys to the organization,” Hughes tweeted. “But George wanted a GM who could provide long-term stability at the top of football operations. Harbaugh is anything but stable. Once George met Poles on that Zoom, Harbaugh seemed unnecessary.”
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McCaskey Wouldn’t Comment on Harbaugh Specifically
Harbaugh went 44-19-1 in four years leading the San Francisco 49ers, taking them to three straight NFC Championships and a Super Bowl, but his time there ended after rumored power struggles with former 49ers GM Trent Baalke.
Hughes noted that while McCaskey didn’t want to pay $100 million considering to a coach he doesn’t find stable, the Bears chairman did speak with Harbaugh, initially with interest.
For his part, McCaskey wouldn’t give details when he was asked about Harbaugh specifically on January 31.
“After each of the interviews that we conducted, we released a statement confirming we had spoken to that candidate,” McCaskey said on January 31, per Gene Chamberlain of Sports Illustrated. “We’re not going to engage in speculation about what other candidates could have been interviewed or might have been interviewed.”
The Bears can’t turn back time, and they’ll be moving forward with Eberflus. Meanwhile, Harbaugh looks like a lock in Minnesota, making the NFC North suddenly one of the most interesting divisions in football.
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