NFC boss reveals ‘real’ Jim Harbaugh regret across league

Before the 2024 NFL season started, the Los Angeles Chargers brought in Jim Harbaugh to be their next head coach after his national championship with the Michigan Wolverines. Harbaugh was a hot name on the coaching circuit last season, but when he was first hired by the Chargers, many saw it as a move other teams would be jealous of. And in a report from Jordan Schultz, it appears that there is some regret from some teams around the Harbaugh camp.

An NFC general manager wrote to Schultz: “The amount of regret some teams have for not hiring Jim Harbaugh when they had the chance… It’s very real.”

In 2024, eight teams hired new head coaches to lead their franchises to greater heights than the coach before. Of the seven teams that didn’t hire Harbaugh, that’s how they fared in the coaching carousel.

• Atlanta Falcons: Raheem Morris
• Carolina Panthers: Dave Canales
• Las Vegas Raiders: Antonio Pierce
• New England Patriots: Jerod Mayo
• Seattle Seahawks: Mike Macdonald
• Tennessee Titans: Brian Callahan

Some teams didn’t fire their head coach, but they certainly could have.

For example, the Chicago Bears’ Matt Eberflus was a common name thrown around as a coach who should have been fired before the start of the season. However, GM Ryan Poles decided to stick with Eberflus and is now paying the consequences as the Bears are in the midst of a four-game losing streak.

Was it Ryan Pole’s GM who texted Jordan Schultz about regrets over Jim Harbaugh?

Poles could have been the GM texting Schultz about Harbaugh and the Bears, especially with the ties between Chicago and Harbaugh.

In the 1987 NFL Draft, the Bears selected Harbaugh with the 26th pick to be their next quarterback after Jim McMahon. Harbaugh would spend seven seasons with the Bears, leading the team to a 35-30 record, throwing for 11,567 yards, 50 touchdowns and 56 interceptions.

So while his time in Chicago didn’t result in as much success as Harbaugh would have liked, knowing his iconic competitive nature, it’s possible he might have wanted another chance to win over Bears fans.

But after another poor season under Eberflus, the Bears decided to keep their failed head coach and forgo an interview with Harbaugh — who was fresh off his national championship victory.

Instead of Chicago giving Harbaugh another chance to show what he’s made of, LA got the eccentric head coach and has been grateful for the hire ever since. Harbaugh has led Justin Herbert and the Chargers to a 6-3 record as they look to extend their record with a win over the Bengals in Week 11.

Imagine what Harbaugh could have done with Caleb Williams and the Bears.