By Adam La Rose on November 16, 2023 at 9:37 a.m. CST
Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of Michigan, is serving a three-game suspension for the second time this season. Many people had assumed that his most recent disciplinary issues would prevent him from being considered for another NFL position, but that does not seem to be the case.
According to Mike Jones of The Athletic, Harbaugh may be considering a comeback to the professional game. He also notes that this interest is likely to result in an interview being considered this upcoming offseason (subscription required). Jones mentions the Bears and Raiders as teams that may be interesting to watch in that regard, pointing out that Harbaugh is associated with both clubs.
The 59-year-old was a first-round pick of the Bears in 1987. He was suspended by Michigan at the start of the season for suspected recruiting violations and was recently suspended by the Big Ten for the remainder of the regular season due to the school’s sign-stealing scandal. As a player, he lived in Chicago for seven of his fourteen years, and he is friendly with the new Bears president, Kevin Warren. The latter held the position of Big Ten commissioner before taking on his current role. Matt Eberflus is currently leading Chicago, and while the organization has recently shown support for him, his job security has been questioned in Year 2.
In 2002–03, Harbaugh took on his first NFL coaching role as the QB coach for the Raiders. Since then, he has stayed in touch with owner Mark Davis, who plans to search this offseason for a Josh McDaniels replacement (barring an extended period of time in which interim head coach Antonio Pierce proves himself worthy of the position). According to a recent report, if Davis pursued his interest in interviewing Harbaugh, the Raiders would be a logical destination. However, the report added a disclaimer that any legacy sanctions from the NCAA or Big Ten could still hold true in the NFL.
The most recent NFL looks Harbaugh has received have come in 2022 (from the Vikings) and this past offseason (when he was the first candidate to interview with the Broncos). Not long after the latter meeting, he made the commitment to remain at Michigan and publicly expressed an aversion to future NFL interest. Having taken the 49ers to the Super Bowl during his long head coaching stint at the pro level, though, speculation has frequently tied him to leaving the Wolverines in pursuit of unfinished business.
If Harbaugh were to join the NFL, he would undoubtedly be in charge of most personnel decisions (he inked a five-year contract with Michigan last winter). It will be interesting to observe how frequently his name comes up in relation to interview requests and the extent to which he reciprocates as the 2024 coaching carousel takes shape in the upcoming months.
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Among his peers, Aidan O’Connell is becoming more confident.
Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell is beginning to settle into his role as QB1.
With three starts under his belt, O’Connell has developed a new attitude through the first 10 weeks of his NFL career as he has transitioned into “big man on campus” status.
What once was a fourth-round pick fresh out of college, who was merely looking to find his place as a pro, is now a starting NFL quarterback playing on the same side of the ball as some of the league’s greatest like wide receiver Davante Adams and running back Josh Jacobs.
“Today, aside from everything else, I believe I’ve discussed him as a quarterback and his ease leading the huddle and all those significant aspects,” Adams said to reporters. “But the most significant thing I’ve observed—and a few of us were discussing it, Hunter [Renfrow] and I included—is that you’re beginning to see him start to become more at ease just being around us in general.”
“It’s always funny when the young guys come in and play with me; whether they’re D-linemen or something else, they always give me a different look as they enter the building through the hallways. And that was how he had been for some time.”
Now, that has evolved. Adams brought up a conversation he and O’Connell had right before their press conference on Wednesday. When the veteran looked to see if there was anything on his face, O’Connell had given him a hard time.
“So, you know, things like that are where you start moving your friendship forward and making improvements to your connection on the field. Therefore, just getting to know people better and feeling more at ease around your teammates is a big part. You don’t really realize how important that stuff is.”
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