The Raiders are looking for a new head coach. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is looking for a path back to the NFL. Is it a match made in football heaven?
Dueling reports from TheAthletic.com paint a dramatically different picture regarding the possibility of Harbaugh returning to the franchise with which he began his coaching career, 20 years ago.
Bruce Feldman of TheAthletic.com reports that “multiple sources inside Michigan football” believe that, if Harbaugh is offered the Raiders job, he’d take it. In contrast, Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com suggests that the Raiders aren’t as interested in Harbaugh as perhaps Harbaugh wants the Raiders to be.
The reality, as we understand it, is that Harbaugh generally has interest in an NFL return, to the right situation. He’s 58, and he wants to win a Super Bowl. With 25 percent of the league (and perhaps more) looking for a new coach, Harbaugh isn’t restricted to the Raiders. Any of the teams looking for a coach could do a lot worse than a guy who immediately turned a 6-10 49ers team into a contender, and who went 44-19-1 in four seasons in San Francisco.
Could it be the Raiders? Sure. Could it be another team with a vacancy? Why not. Could it ultimately be, say, the Cardinals and a return to the NFC West, if they move on from Kliff Kingsbury? Two games per year against the 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams would be compelling, to say the least.
