Report: Update on Jim Harbaugh situation with NFL head coach openings

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh has an interview for an NFL job. Harbaugh will fly to Minnesota on Wednesday to interview to become the Vikings next head coach, per NFL reporter Tom Pelissero.

A Michigan alumnus, Harbaugh has coached at his alma mater since the 2015 season. He led the Wolverines to a 12-2 finish this past season, his best since taking over as coach. They made the College Football Playoff, losing to eventual champion Georgia in a semifinal game.

The Vikings fired coach Mike Zimmer this offseason after eight seasons.

If Harbaugh were to land the job, it wouldn’t be his first stint as an NFL coach. He spent four years with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14 prior to his arrival in Michigan. His 44-19-1 record with the 49ers is the fifth-best winning percentage in NFL history, above any active NFL coach. He made the playoffs three times in four years with San Francisco and three consecutive NFC Championship games. In 2012, he led the team to a Super Bowl appearance, where he lost to his brother John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens.

Harbaugh was also the quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders from 2002-03.

Minnesota hired former 49ers front office employee Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their general manager this past week. The two overlapped by a couple years when Harbaugh was the San Francisco head coach.

Harbaugh first spoke with the Vikings on a Zoom call last week. Although Adofo Mensah is clearly interested in reuniting with Harbaugh, Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will also be flown to Minnesota for a second round of interviews.

Minnesota finished this past season with an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Vikings have the 12th pick in the upcoming NFL draft, which is set to begin on April 28.

If the Vikings hire Jim Harbaugh, they also have to pay a $1.5 million buyout from his Michigan contract. The number decreases to $1 million in 2023, $500,000 in 2024, and no money in 2025.