University of Michigan president Santa Ono announced that Jim Harbaugh is remaining as the Wolverines head football coach. These three NFL teams missed out on him.
It was once another year in which Jim Harbaugh flirted with making a return to the NFL, eight years since he was let go by the San Francisco 49ers. He interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings last year for their head coach opening, but returned to Michigan to lead the program to its second consecutive College Football Playoff Semifinal appearance. This year, Harbaugh once again explored making a return to the NFL.
Well, Harbaugh is not leaving Ann Arbor, Mich. after all…again.
University of Michigan president Santa Ono announced on Monday, Jan. 16, that Harbaugh has informed him that he will remain the head football coach of the Wolverines. Harbaugh released a statement shortly thereafter, saying that his “heart is at the University.”
Happy Mission#GoBlue https://t.co/EQ1PksGYBX pic.twitter.com/KNNuYASJWz
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 16, 2023
There are five teams that are in need of a new head coach as of Harbaugh’s announcement. Three teams in particular missed out big time on landing Harbaugh, who has proven to win at the NFL level, and can develop quarterbacks.
Denver Broncos missed out on Jim Harbaugh
The Denver Broncos were the only NFL team to actually hold an interview with Harbaugh this offseason. In fact, they were the only ones to request an interview with him. Yet, they have to officially cross out Harbaugh’s name on their head coaching candidates list.
Denver desperately needs to hire the right head coach after massively missing last offseason when hiring former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. The team was supposed to contend for the AFC West title with Russell Wilson at quarterback. Instead, they went 4-11, Wilson seemingly regressed, Hackett had issues with clock management, and the offense was among the worst in the league. After a 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas, Hackett was fired the next day, just 15 games into his tenure.
With the team being committed to Wilson long-term due to his contract, the Broncos need to hire the right head coach to get the most out of the team, not just the quarterback. Harbaugh has a winning record at the NFL level, going 44-19-1 in the regular season and 5-3 in the playoffs.
Denver is linked to former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and current Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
NFL teams to miss out on Jim Harbaugh: Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are in need of a new head coach. After signing Kingsbury to a five-year contract extension heading into the 2022 season, the Cardinals fired him after the team underperformed and went 4-13 on the year. Not just that, but they fired Kingsbury before his contract extension, believed to be worth around $5.5 million per year, officially kicked in.
Arizona has their quarterback in Kyler Murray, who they also signed to a big contract extension this past offseason. However, he tore his ACL back in Week 14. But change is coming. Defensive end J.J. Watt announced his retirement from the NFL. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is reportedly expected to be traded at the end of the season.
Due in part to their bad season, the Cardinals hold the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. That could be used on defensive star prospects like Jalen Carter or Will Anderson if they stay put, or they could move down with a quarterback-needy team and accumulate more picks.
The Cardinals hired their new general manager in Monti Ossenfort, the director of player personnel for the Tennessee Titans. It will be interesting to see what Ossenfort’s plan is for the team, and who he will bring in as head coach.
NFL teams to miss out on Jim Harbaugh: Indianapolis Colts
It felt fitting that Harbaugh would make the jump back to the NFL as the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts were one of the worst teams in the league this season. They fired Frank Reich midway through the season and replaced him on an interim basis with former center Jeff Saturday, who was an analyst on ESPN and had no NFL coaching experience. They managed to lose seven of their eight games with Saturday as coach, including blowing the biggest lead in NFL history to the Minnesota Vikings, losing 39-36 after leading 33-0.
With the Colts, they are going to be drafting high. They hold the fourth-overall pick and have the chance to convince the Chicago Bears to trade them the No. 1 selection. That would put them one slot ahead of the rival Houston Texans, and get the quarterback of their choosing. The Colts have tried going the veteran route in free agency and the trading block since Andrew Luck retired, and have yet to find a suitable, long-term answer.
Bringing in Harbaugh to coach up a rookie quarterback would have been a solid move by the Colts. He had success with Luck as his quarterback when coaching Stanford, and with Colin Kaepernick when coaching the 49ers.
Alas, that won’t be happening now.