Jim Harbaugh could have become the highest paid coach in the entire college league. But the title won a few weeks ago with Michigan was obviously enough for him.
Here he is again in the NFL. The Chargers officially announced the hiring of Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday night.
“You don't build a resume like Jim's by accident, and you don't do it alone,” Chargers president John Spanos said in the release. “You need a team. And no one has built teams better, with consistency, in recent history than Jim Harbaugh. His former players swear by him and his opponents curse him. Jim is unique, and we couldn't be happier to have him as coach of the Chargers. »
According to ESPN, the 60-year-old coach signed a contract for five seasons.
Jim Harbaugh and the NFL, like a taste of unfinished business
It's been a little over nine years since Jim Harbaugh left the NFL. Officially, it was a mutually agreed separation from the 49ers after four seasons.
Harbaugh had taken over an average team, which had just gone eight seasons without finishing with a positive record. But in his first year, the Niners won 13 games, with a completely revived Alex Smith at the helm of the attack. They lost in the conference finals. The following year, Colin Kaepernick took over the quarterback position and led the team to the Super Bowl. But San Francisco lost to the Ravens of John Harbaugh, his brother. After a third consecutive conference final, San Francisco missed the playoffs the following year. Jim Harbaugh then moved to the NCAA ranks, to Michigan, the university in which he played.
Here again, he inherits a program in difficulty. He's not just going there to restore the Wolverines' image for charity. As of 2016, he is better paid than all NFL coaches. Over the years, he flirted with NFL teams but always ended up returning to Michigan, usually with a bigger contract.
Not this year.
Above all, his sporting patience – which included a trip to Paris with his team – was finally rewarded by the NCAA title that Michigan had lacked for so long.
Justin Herbert + Jim Harbaugh = <3
Former quarterback and himself formerly with the Chargers, Harbaugh returns to California to work with a gem: Justin Herbert.
The 25-year-old, 6th pick in the 2020 Draft, should find an ideal mentor in Harbaugh.
But be careful, if Harbaugh's reputation is flattering on the offensive level, his attacks during four years with the 49ers were never part of the Top 10 in the league. It was the defense that carried San Francisco, with exceptional squads. And this is probably where there is the most work on the Chargers side. Coincidence or not, Vic Fangio, his defensive coordinator with the Niners, left the Dolphins on Thursday.
What is certain is that the NFL is finding a strong character.
