Adam Schefter reveals two biggest factors leading to Jim Harbaugh taking Chargers job

Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday, ending months of speculation about where he will coach in 2024.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter joined The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday and shared what led to Harbaugh leaving college football for the NFL.

According to Schefter, there were two key factors that led to Jim Harbaugh taking the Chargers job.

“No. 1, the NFL was going to be able to offer more money. No. 2, the NFL could offer the chance to compete and try to win a Super Bowl, which Michigan couldn’t,” Schefter said. “So those two factors alone made it so Jim, I believe, was destined to leave Michigan at this time.”

The timing made sense for Harbaugh for several reasons. He took over the Michigan program ahead of the 2015 season with the goal of leading the Wolverines back to the top of the college football world.

Harbaugh did that in 2023 as Michigan went undefeated, winning a Big Ten title and national championship. There are also two NCAA investigations currently taking place with the Wolverines program that could have factored into his decision.

Michigan tried to keep Harbaugh, but to no avail.

“Michigan had an offer on the table to make Jim the highest-paid coach in college football. It was out there, and he could’ve taken it at any point in time,” Schefter said. “But the more it’s sitting out there and the more he’s not taking it, the more you realize that’s just not going to happen. He’s just not going to go back to school. His work there is done. It’s time for him to go back to the NFL. And it’s really a whole slew of factors.

“As you mentioned, he had restored the program. He had beaten Ohio State. He had gotten the team to a Final Four. He had won a national championship. He had done everything that he set out to do at that school. He had been there longer than he had been any other place – nine years. And the money at the NFL coaching level is rising to where whatever Michigan was going to offer, it couldn’t match what the NFL was going to offer.”

In addition to the Chargers, other NFL franchises were also interested in Harbaugh. That includes the Atlanta Falcons, who were set to interview Harbaugh for a second time on Thursday.

That interview never took place, though, as Harbaugh and Los Angeles agreed to a deal on Wednesday.

“I think that essentially, the Chargers were the team that was most interested in him all along. They had done a ton of work on Jim Harbaugh, were determined to get a deal done with Jim Harbaugh,” Schefter said.

“Ultimately, in the end, the Chargers stepped up, and before he could get out of the building, they reach agreement on a five-year deal that keeps Jim in Los Angeles, prevents him from interviewing with the Falcons. In the end, I think the Chargers were the team that really wanted him most, and it showed with the aggressiveness with which they pursued him.”