NFC executive reveals Jim Harbaugh’s ‘real’ regrets across the league

Before the 2024 NFL season kicked off, the Los Angeles Chargers brought in Jim Harbaugh as their next head coach following his national championship with the Michigan Wolverines. Harbaugh was a popular name on the coaching carousel last season, but once he was hired by the Chargers, many saw it as a move that would be the envy of other teams. And a report from Jordan Schultz shows that there is quite a bit of regret among some teams surrounding Harbaugh’s hiring.

An NFC general manager texted Schultz: “The amount of regret some teams have for not hiring Jim Harbaugh when they had the chance… It’s very real.”

In 2024, eight teams hired new head coaches to lead their franchises to greater heights than the coach had before. Of the seven teams that didn’t hire Harbaugh, they did so on the coaching carousel.

• Atlanta Falcons: Raheem Morris
• Carolina Panthers: Dave Canales
• Las Vegas Raiders: Antonio Pierce
• New England Patriots: Jerod Mayo
• Seattle Seahawks: Mike Macdonald
• Tennessee Titans: Brian Callahan

Some teams didn’t fire their head coaches, but they certainly could have.

For example, Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears was a common name as a coach who should have been fired before the start of the season. However, General Manager Ryan Poles decided to stay with Eberflus and is now paying the consequences as the Bears are on a four-game losing streak.

Was it Ryan Poles GM who texted Jordan Schultz about regrets about Jim Harbaugh?

Poland could have been the General Manager who texted Schultz about Harbaugh and the Bears, especially regarding the ties between Chicago and Harbaugh.

In the 1987 NFL Draft, the Bears selected Harbaugh with the No. 26 pick as their next quarterback after Jim McMahon. Harbaugh would spend seven seasons with the Bears, leading the team to a 35-30 record, with 11,567 yards, 50 touchdowns and 56 interceptions.

So while his time in Chicago didn’t yield as much success as Harbaugh would have liked given his iconic competitive nature, it’s possible he would have wanted another chance to win over Bears fans.

However, after another poor season under Eberflus, the Bears decided to retain their failing head coach and forego an interview with Harbaugh, who had just graduated from his national championship victory.

Instead of Chicago giving Harbaugh another chance to show what he’s made of, LA brought in the eccentric head coach and has been grateful for the hire ever since. Harbaugh has led Justin Herbert and the Chargers to a 6-3 record as they look to add to their record with a win over the Bengals in Week 11.

Imagine what Harbaugh could have done with Caleb Williams and the Bears.