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Report: Minnesota Vikings will fly Jim Harbaugh in Wednesday

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•01/31/22•

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Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh runs onto the field before the Big Ten Championship against the Iowa Hawkeyes. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Jim Harbaugh to the NFL speculation continued Monday with news that the Minnesota Vikings will fly him in for an in-person interview. Harbaugh met with the franchise via Zoom over the weekend in a “get to know” session in which he expressed genuine interest in the job.

The Vikings interviewed Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell in California. San Francisco defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans withdrew from consideration by declining a second interview. Vikings added New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham as a finalist.

Harbaugh, of course, has much more experience than the other two. He compiled a 49-22-1 record with the San Francisco 49ers, including 5-3 in the playoffs. He made three straight NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl, losing to his brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens.

Miami is the other franchise still in consideration, but NFL insider Ian Rappaport believes that’s a two-man race. Harbaugh knows owner Stephen Ross well and has spoken with him about the opening.

“I’m not going to be the person that takes Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan. I hope he stays there. He’s a great coach,” Ross told reporters during his Monday news conference Jan. 17. 

We believe that’s how he felt at the time. But we also said if he got wind Harbaugh was hell bent on returning to the NFL and wanted him, he’d make a play for him. 

Ross was one of many who threw a hat in the ring back in 2011, before Harbaugh accepted the San Francisco job.

“So, they are going to interview Mike McDaniel, who is a very brilliant offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers,” Rapoport said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday. “Not a household name, but a really smart dude. And then Kellen Moore, the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys. As far as I can tell, those are the two finalists in Miami.”

Watch for more on these developments in the hours and days to come …

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