Jim Harbaugh Interviews With Falcons — Could Arthur Blank Choose Him Over Bill Belichick?

The Atlanta Falcons are recognized for kicking across the faculty ranks for his or her head coach, and their newest goal could be probably the most coveted in a deep pool of accessible expertise. On Tuesday night, the workforce revealed that they interviewed Michigan head coach and reigning nationwide champion Jim Harbaugh.

Atlanta, who parted methods with Arthur Smith final week after three consecutive 7-10 seasons, is certainly one of a handful across the NFL making an attempt to fill a head teaching emptiness.

Loads of large names available on the market, comparable to Mike Vrabel, Ron Rivera, and Invoice Belichick, and that’s to say nothing of extra up-and-coming candidates like Ben Johnson or Eric Bieniemy. However do the Falcons have their eyes set on Harbaugh, even after they interviewed Belichick earlier this week?

Will Jim Harbaugh Return to the NFL?

Harbaugh’s been on the helm of the Michigan Wolverines since 2015 and has been instrumental in one of the prolific 10-year runs within the proud program’s historical past.

His Michigan tenure was promising to start out. The Wolverines went 10-3 thrice in his first 4 years on the helm. Nevertheless, an incapability to conquer Ohio State and, in flip, win the Massive Ten Championship have been frequent criticisms levied at Harbaugh.

He put these criticisms to mattress over the previous three seasons. Michigan gained consecutive Massive Ten titles from 2021-23 — the primary such victories for this system since 2004.

Extra impressively, Harbaugh’s Wolverines simply captured their first nationwide championship in additional than a quarter-century after a dominating victory over the Washington Huskies within the School Soccer Playoff Nationwide Championship.

We now have interviewed Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh for our head coach opening

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 17, 2024

Harbaugh has achieved just about all there may be to perform on the faculty stage, so it stands to purpose that he would possibly need to revisit the skilled ranks. He had some success within the professionals a decade in the past, guiding the San Francisco 49ers to a 44-19-1 mark over 4 seasons.

MORE: NFL Head Coach Predictions 2024

His ‘Niners certified for not less than the NFC Championship Recreation throughout his first three seasons with the workforce. He additionally famously misplaced Tremendous Bowl XLVII towards his brother John’s Baltimore Ravens. Jim lastly bought one monkey off his again, so it appears protected to surmise he’d like one other crack on the one nonetheless lingering.

Do the Atlanta Falcons Make Sense for Jim Harbaugh?

A handful of things make the Falcons an attractive workforce for any accessible teaching prospect. They’ve bought otherworldly expertise on the talent positions between RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, and TE Kyle Pitts. There’s additionally a handful of first-rounders on the O-line.

Admittedly, there’s seemingly no franchise quarterback in-house proper now, however the Falcons would hardly be the primary workforce to maneuver their manner into one. Whether or not through the draft, a commerce, or free company (the Falcons at present have round $30 million in accessible cap), if the Falcons are all-in on Harbaugh, they’ll likewise be all-in on discovering an appropriate arm to pilot the offense.

Granted, Harbaugh to the Falcons isn’t any certain factor as of this writing, and that goes for each side. He might simply be angling for a pay elevate from Michigan. In actual fact, a report on Tuesday morning surfaced from Yahoo Sports activities’ Dan Wetzel that Harbaugh and Michigan have been engaged on a deal that may pay him $11.5 million assured per yr over six years, making him the highest-paid coach in faculty soccer.

The sticking level, nonetheless, appears to be round immunity language that Harbaugh is looking for to be included within the contract. Per Wetzel, the language would grant him immunity from termination from any discovering or sanction that might come up from a number of present NCAA investigations into the soccer program.

Then once more, who’s to say the Falcons aren’t utilizing Harbaugh, not less than partly, to get Belichick to play ball? They interviewed the legendary former New England coach a number of days in the past. Each side are possible nonetheless weighing their choices, however Belichick’s bought the type of cache that may seemingly demand a clean verify from just about any NFL workforce needing his providers.

Nevertheless, he’s 71 and endured the worst season in his storied teaching profession. There’s a respectable concern that maybe the sport has begun to move him by. In the meantime, the 60-year-old Harbaugh has proven no indicators of slipping.

He’s no spring rooster, however ten years is a very long time from the attitude of this dialog. Belichick is a short-term repair, and Harbaugh could possibly be round for the lengthy haul.

Whichever manner the Falcons go, they’ve landed between the proverbial rock and a tough place. Fortunately for them, each choices, on this occasion, are fairly interesting.

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