Jim Harbaugh takes head-coaching interview with second NFL team

Two days, two NFL interviews for Jim Harbaugh.

The Michigan head coach interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday, the franchise announced, making him a candidate for their head-coaching vacancy. Harbaugh is the seventh coach to interview for the Falcons’ job, joining a lengthy list that includes longtime former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

Atlanta fired coach Arthur Smith on Jan. 8 after three seasons, and six straight without making a postseason appearance.

A day earlier, on Monday, Harbaugh completed an interview with the Los Angeles Chargers, his first of the 2024 NFL hiring cycle and a clear sign that he has serious interest in returning to the NFL ranks. He still has three years left on his contract with Michigan, a deal that guarantees him more than $7.5 million annually, where he just won a national title.

The remaining time hasn’t stopped from pursuing an NFL job, however. Harbaugh hired NFL agent Don Yee last month, a rare, significant development in the Michigan coach’s desire to return to the pros. He interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings after the 2021 season, and with the Denver Broncos after 2022, with neither conversation failing to materialize an offer.

More: Jim Harbaugh interviews with Los Angeles Chargers

It was after the Vikings’ interview, in February 2022, that Harbaugh made public his desire to one day compete for another Super Bowl. He coached four seasons in the NFL previously, with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to ‘14, taking the franchise to three NFC championship games and Super Bowl XLVII.

An abrupt ending to his time in San Francisco jump-started his return to Michigan, his alma mater, where he since restored the program as one of college football’s greats. Harbaugh is 86-25 in nine seasons with the Wolverines, winning three Big Ten titles and the College Football Playoff earlier this month.

Harbaugh has dodged questions in recent weeks about his future at Michigan, where the football program currently finds itself under dueling NCAA investigations for rules violations. Harbaugh himself is accused of misleading officials, a Level I violation, in conjunction with a probe into recruiting and coaching violations, Level II penalties, while his program is also under further scrutiny for an alleged in-person scouting ring involving a low-level staffer.

Michigan suspended Harbaugh for three games to start the 2023 season for the recruiting violations, while the Big Ten stepped in and slapped the coach with an additional three-game ban to close the regular season after accusing the program of violating the league’s sportsmanship policy.

Harbaugh, 60, said last Monday night after Michigan’s 34-13 win over Washington that his program “stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent.” He has denied having any knowledge or involvement in the sign-stealing accusations.

Nonetheless, further punishment from the NCAA could be handed down ahead of the 2024 season, impacting Harbaugh and his future on the Michigan sideline. A report earlier Tuesday from Yahoo! Sports said Harbaugh is seeking immunity from being fired as fallout for the probes in an ongoing contract negotiation with the school.