NFL Rumors: Jim Harbaugh on verge of locking in NFL job

A couple weeks ago, Jim Harbaugh led Michigan to its first national championship since 1997. Now, he faces the impossible decision between staying at his alma mater or moving back to the NFL, where he came up just shy of the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013.

Harbaugh is surely weighing the stability and comfort of Ann Arbor with the legacy-building potential of embarking on another NFL tenure. Harbaugh has secured a second interview with the Atlanta Falcons and he is expected to meet with the Los Angeles Chargers for a second time in the coming days.

While nothing is final, it would appear Harbaugh is tempted by the allure of coaching in the pros. According to Cam Marino of USA Today, the 60-year-old head coach is "leaning towards" becoming the next head coach of the Chargers. He is taking family to their second meeting, where a deal could be finalized.

Jim Harbaugh leaning toward taking Chargers job

Talk about a home-run hire for the Chargers.

There is a reason Harbaugh is the most coveted name on the market. He is one of the rare coaches to experience high-level success both in college and in the NFL. In four years with San Francisco from 2011-14, Harbaugh went 44-19. The Niners were NFC champions in 2013, but lost to John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl.

Jim Harbaugh is a former quarterback. The 2011 AP Coach of the Year would have a natural connection to Justin Herbert, upon whom the Chargers franchise is greatly reliant. Los Angeles has one of the five or so best arms in football on their roster. That is a major advantage when it comes to constructing not only a competitive offense, but a competitive team.

Unfortunately, Los Angeles hit too many speed bumps during the Brandon Staley era. It's clear the Chargers are ready to embrace an offensive-minded head coach. Under Staley, the Chargers were riddled by inexplicably poor time management and baffling play-calls. Harbaugh should provide far more stability and consistency on the sideline.

Los Angeles is universally considered the best job on the market, mostly because of Herbert. The 25-year-old signed a historic $262.5 million contract before last season. He is entrenched as the Chargers' competitive foundation for the foreseeable future. Harbaugh would inherit most of the pieces necessary to build a contender. He would also need to partner with a brand-new GM, which could complicate the matter. That is, unless Los Angeles hands over control of the roster, which could be what it takes to pry him away from Ann Arbor.

Harbaugh would notably be in the same division as Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Falcons, for example, are located in the easiest division in football. That could be a consideration, but with Atlanta circling another historically accomplished candidate in Bill Belichick, it would appear that Harbaugh is bound for the west coast barring a change of heart.