Chargers hire Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh as their next coach

The Chargers finally lured Jim Harbaugh away from the University of Michigan to become their next coach, the team announced Wednesday. Harbaugh was one of 15 candidates the Chargers interviewed, but the only one they met with twice during a process that began Jan. 9.

News of the hiring came via several outlets citing unnamed sources earlier in the day, with the Chargers only posting on X (formerly Twitter) an image of white smoke coming from a stove pipe to indicate a hire had been made. They also posted. “WHO’S GOT IT BETTER THAN US??”

Later in the evening, the Chargers made a more formal announcement.

“You don’t build a resume like Jim’s by accident, and you don’t do it by yourself,” John Spanos, the Chargers’ president of football operations, said in a statement. “You need a team. And nobody has built a team more successfully, and repeatedly, in recent history than Jim Harbaugh. His former players swear by him, and his opponents swear at him. Jim is one of one, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him back in the Chargers organization as our head coach.”

Harbaugh was the most high-profile candidate to replace Brandon Staley, who was fired along with General Manager Tom Telesco on Dec. 15, one day after a humiliating 63-21 loss to the AFC West-rival Las Vegas Raiders. Harbaugh led Michigan to the national championship earlier this month.

In many ways, Harbaugh’s return to the Chargers seemed like a natural fit and led to much speculation that he was their top candidate even as they cast a wide net in their coaching search. Harbaugh ended his 14-year NFL career with the Chargers during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

“When I played for the Chargers, the Spanos family could not have been more gracious or more welcoming,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “Being back here feels like home, and it’s great to see that those things haven’t changed. … My priorities are faith, family and football, and we are going to attack each with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. This organization is putting in the work – investing capital, building infrastructure and doing everything within its power to win.

“Great effort equals great results, and we’re just getting started.”

Harbaugh, 60, began his coaching career at the University of San Diego and then moved to Stanford before he was hired to coach the San Francisco 49ers in 2011. He coached the 49ers for four seasons and led them to the Super Bowl following the 2012 season.

But a rift with management paved the way for his departure to Michigan following an 8-8 record in the 2014 season. He departed the 49ers with a 44-19-1 record and then set about turning the Wolverines into national champions. It was a bumpy ride at times, including this season.

Harbaugh’s record at Michigan was 86-25, including 15-0 this season, when he led the Wolverines to their first national title since 1997. Michigan defeated Alabama in the Rose Bowl, the national semifinal game, and then rolled past Washington in the national championship game.

Michigan attempted to retain Harbaugh’s services, offering him a new contract reportedly worth $11.5 million per season over six seasons. The Wolverines had watched Harbaugh flirt with a return to the NFL over the past few seasons only for him to return to his alma mater each time.

This time, the Chargers got their man, the first coach the Spanos family has hired with previous head coaching experience in the NFL since Norv Turner replaceed another veteran coach, Marty Shottenheimer, for the 2017 season. Staley, Anthony Lynn and Mike McCoy were each first-time head coaches.

Staley was the Rams’ defensive coordinator when the Chargers hired him in 2021. The Chargers were 9-8 in Staley’s first season, but they missed the playoffs when they lost to the Raiders in overtime in the regular-season finale. They were 10-7 in 2022, but blew a 27-0 lead in a wild-card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

There was rampant speculation that Staley would be fired after the debacle in Jacksonville, but he returned for his third season amid hopes that the Chargers’ first playoff appearance since 2018 would be a springboard to a challenge to the Kansas City Chiefs’ AFC West supremacy.

It didn’t happen.

The Chargers never clicked, especially defensively, which was supposed to be Staley’s forte despite a college career as a quarterback. Staley and Telesco were fired after the Chargers gave a franchise-record 63 points to the Raiders and assistant Giff Smith served as interim coach for the final three games.

Staley was 24-24 during his Chargers tenure.

Telesco was hired by the Raiders on Tuesday to be their new GM.

At the end of the season, pundits and Las Vegas oddsmakers alike made Harbaugh the favorite to replace Staley, citing his past association with the Spanos family and the prospect of working with standout quarterback Justin Herbert – who will be playing for his fourth head coach and possibly his fourth offensive coordinator in five seasons. The Chargers’ job was thought to be the most attractive of all the NFL openings, even though they have not won a division title since 2009.

Harbaugh also interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons last week and had booked a second interview with them.

But, ultimately, it was the Chargers who landed Harbaugh with a five-year deal, according to ESPN, giving him a chance to chase the Super Bowl championship that eluded him when he and the 49ers lost to his brother John and the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl following the 2012 season.

The brothers are scheduled to meet again next season at SoFi Stadium.

Harbaugh left Michigan after a season in which he was investigated by the NCAA for recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period and was suspended for the season’s first three games by the university. The Big Ten then suspended him for the final three games because of a sign-stealing scheme.

Michigan athletic director Ward Manuel issued a statement after the Chargers made their announcement on Wednesday.

“Jim did exactly what he sought to do at Michigan, build our program to consistently win Big Ten championships and compete for national championships, culminating with a record three straight outright conference titles and the national championship this year. …

“We appreciated Jim’s dedication and passion for Michigan, the university and Ann Arbor, and I wish Jim and the entire Harbaugh family much success with the Los Angeles Chargers.”

Years earlier, Harbaugh departed San Francisco for Michigan after a feud with then-GM Trent Baalke and team owner Jed York after word leaked that the 49ers had tried to trade Harbaugh to the Cleveland Browns. Harbaugh would later say “I didn’t leave the 49ers. I felt like the 49er hierarchy left me.”

The Spanos family was not troubled by Harbaugh’s recent and not-so-recent issues, however.

“Jim Harbaugh is football personified, and I can think of no one better to lead the Chargers forward,” Dean Spanos, the team’s owner, said in a statement.

Harbaugh will inherit a team in need of a culture change. The Chargers were 0-7 in games decided by three points or fewer this past season, tying the 1984 Houston Oilers for the worst mark since the merger. The Chargers finished the season with a 5-12 overall mark and were last in the AFC West.

The offense this past season regressed because of injuries at wide receiver and on the offensive line. Herbert broke the index finger on his right hand and missed the last four games, but even when he was at the helm, they were ranked 18th in total offense after six straight years of being in the top 11.

The defense was ranked 28th in the 32-team NFL, marking the first time since 1986 it has been ranked 20th or worse for three straight years.

Harbaugh and the new GM will have the fifth overall pick in April’s draft, the fourth time since 2016 the Chargers have had a pick in the top seven. Only the New York Giants (six), New York Jets (five) and Jacksonville Jaguars (five) have had more. Nine GM candidates have interviewed so far.

What’s more, the Chargers are projected to be $27.5 million over the league salary cap.