According to multiple reports, the Minnesota Vikings are set to interview Jim Harbaugh for their head coaching position.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio was the first to report the news and says that the Vikings have notified the league’s office of their intent to interview Harbaugh. At this point, Minnesota is reportedly awaiting the formal paperwork that is filed for all coaching interviews.
Angelique S. Chengelis of The Detroit News has confirmed that Harbaugh will interview for the job and that his current employer, the University of Michigan is aware of the situation.
Harbaugh has spent the past seven seasons at Michigan. He owns a 61-24 record and led the Wolverines to a 12-2 record, a Big Ten Championship, and a berth in the College Football Playoff this past season.
But coming into 2021, his time in Ann Arbor was on the ropes. Michigan averaged nine wins during Harbaugh’s first five seasons and went 2-4 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Harbaugh took a pay cut entering this season, which could explain some of the reasons why he has an interest in returning to the NFL.
John U. Bacon, who is a Michigan journalist tied to Harbaugh, tweeted earlier this week “Don’t sleep on the Vikings” for a potential return. Bacon also talked about the possibility on “The Wolverine Digest Pod,” where he confirmed Harbaugh has had communication with Minnesota on their head coaching position.
“I don’t know how big of a thing it is,” Bacon said. “There has been some communication [with the Vikings]. I can say that. For a while, there was with Denver also, and that, obviously, didn’t go very far. So yeah, you never know.”
Harbaugh’s previous head coaching experience could also appeal to the Vikings. He went 44-19-1 in four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers with a Super Bowl experience in 2012. He also has ties to new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who was the 49ers’ director of research and development in Harbaugh’s final two seasons in San Francisco.
A potential interview for Harbaugh could also coincide with Patrick Graham, who interviewed for the head coaching position on Saturday. A graduate of Yale, Graham has an Ivy League connection with Adofo-Mensah, who graduated from Princeton. He has also spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.
