Report: Los Angeles Chargers, Jim Harbaugh ‘in striking distance,’ team made ‘extremely strong offer’

It appears as though Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is getting closer to becoming the next head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported on Tuesday that Harbaugh and the Chargers are “in striking distance” of getting a deal done.

According to Garafolo, the Chargers have made an offer to Harbaugh to make him their next head coach.

“This feels like we’re now in the zone where something could happen between the Chargers and Jim Harbaugh in the near future,” Garafolo said. “My understanding is that it is an extremely strong offer that they have made to him financially. They are now in the point where they’re going to discuss staffing when it comes to General Manager and obviously the coaching staff, who’s going to work alongside Harbaugh, as well.”

News broke on Monday that Jim Harbaugh was going to meet with the Chargers for a second time this week.

It seems as though that meeting could be to work out final details for Jim Harbaugh becoming the head coach of the Chargers.

“This feels like advancing to the point where if everybody’s comfortable with a lot of the principle factors at play, that this team could move on Jim Harbaugh and try to get him under contract here in the near future,” Garafolo said. “That feels like where we are.”

This isn’t the first time that Harbaugh has been mentioned as an NFL head coaching candidate. Each of the past two years he spoke with NFL franchises, before ultimately deciding to stay at Michigan.

However, Garafolo believes this time is different.

“[It] feels like Harbaugh’s not just toying with the NFL to try to get Michigan to agree to something to jump back to college,” Garafolo said. “This has felt like Harbaugh has his eyes locked on the NFL, and this could be the move in the near future, to Los Angeles, back to California, where he’s coached before, where he’s played before, where he’d be comfortable.”

Harbaugh just wrapped up his ninth season at Michigan, leading the Wolverines to the national championship and a Big Ten title in 2023.

Harbaugh played for several NFL franchises during his playing days, including the San Diego Chargers. After retiring following the 2001 season, he got into coaching. He spent two seasons on staff as an assistant with the Oakland Raiders.

Since then, Harbaugh has been a head coach at the University of San Diego, Stanford, the San Francisco 49ers and Michigan. He has been successful everywhere he has been.