There have been reports that the Raiders’ potential head-coaching vacancy is expected to be one of the most sought-after jobs in the NFL. Considering the Raiders are 9-7 and on the verge of the playoffs, those reports are probably more accurate than ever.
The first ‘big fish’ to leak interest in the job dropped on Monday and it happens to be someone who already has ties to the organization.
According to a report in The Athletic, University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is believed to be interested in the Raiders’ job if it becomes available:
“The Athletic is hearing rumblings, both from the NFL side and at Michigan, that Harbaugh might be tempted to leave the Wolverines to return to the NFL. ‘I think it’s real,’ said one source this week when asked about the possibility of Harbaugh being interested in heading back to the NFL.
The Raiders head coaching job might be tough for him to say no to given his ties to the organization — he started his coaching career there in 2003 — and the fact that there’s already a solid quarterback in place in Derek Carr. He’s also friends with Raiders owner Mark Davis.
It is worth noting that the Raiders are on a three-game winning streak under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and could become a playoff team if they beat the Chargers on Sunday. Whether Davis is looking to find a new head coach is yet to be determined.”
The thinking has been for a while that Raiders’ owner Mark Davis would hire a new coaching staff, but if the Raiders beat the Chargers on Sunday it would be a tough decision to fire Bisaccia and his staff.
There is also a good chance that Harbaugh just wants NFL interest out there to leverage Michigan into giving him a pay raise. It’s the oldest trick in the book and after taking a pay cut last year, Harbaugh will probably be happy to turn the tables on Michigan now that his stock is soaring.
Still a lot to be figured out in the days ahead, but as of now it seems like Bisaccia might have the slightest inside track on keeping the job. It could be that a lot depends on how the game goes on Sunday.
twitter: @raidersbeat
AGH! Save us from Jim Harbaugh. He is immature, bombastic, a bad influence on players, a toxic element with other coaches and the press. He is the last person who should be head coach of the Raiders.
Immature? Probably. Bombastic? Sure, Bad influence with the players? I wouldn’t know. But I seriously don’t think he was toxic with other coaches. I remember him commending Raiders, Bears and Bills for swooping away his top three assistant coaches, who were Vic Fangio (amazing DC), Greg Roman (great job with Buffalo’s offense, great at times with Ravens’) and Brad Seely (who coached a very good Special Teams Unit with the Raiders under Jack Del Rio).
Anyway, dude was able to coach a team that Trent “Freaking” Balke (as in “The current Jaguars GM”) put together to a Super Bowl. He is a good coach in my opinion.
Get Harbaugh. He’s NFL proven.
The Raiders need a more aggressive Head Coach as well as OC. The offense should be averaging 27 plus a game.
Agreed to a extent, an offensive coordinator that uses his personal correct, and is aggressive. I wouldn’t get rid of anyone except our current O.C.
If the Raiders make the playoffs this week when they beat the Bolts, regardless of what happens in the playoffs, Rich Bisaccia deserves at least a full season with the squad! With all the adversity he’s faced while being a first time head coach it’s pretty remarkable that he’s held this team together and got them in a position where they hold their own destiny! Let’s Go Raiders!
Next time you send a gif or just look on Google check out
“Jim harbaugh booger”
Spoiler alert dude picks and eats his booger. Mid game. Sideline. No for me ✌️
I don’t give a crap if he picks his *** and smells it. As long as he gets the Raiders back to playoff contention
They are already in playoff contention, are you blind, deaf and dumb?
“It could be that a lot depends on how the game goes on Sunday.” You can say that again. If the Raiders win Sunday, then changing the coaching staff will be a tougher decision. Many of us had called for it during the ugly games which showed the world that a coaching staff change was called for. But, hey, people learn, and people improve, and that includes coaches. And the NFL is a great stage to show the world if you have improved. Making the playoffs and winning playoff games goes a long way in that regard. After winning the last three games, it seems they have improved. And if they keep winning then, yeah, it may be true. But if they lose on Sunday, then, nope. The perceived improvement was just an illusion and the changes must come. Sadly the last time they played the Chargers, the Raiders were outplayed, outcoached, and looked like a bunch of chumps. Let’s see what happens this time.
Tough not to give Coach B & staff another season or more if he takes these Raiders to the playoffs. Harbaugh is not what I envision for better times ahead for the Raiders, as he seems to be unstable at times. Sign Tomlin if he becomes available. Period.
No Tomlin how many times has he been to Superbowl with great players , Tomlin is thru and hates our military and our country he’s for kneelers BLM we don’t need any more of that crap
Racist much?
Dave,
There has nobody mentioned that but you. He was’t the only person kneeling (or just because he is a black coach) is that why you mentioned that in your comment about Tomlin? SMH
Regardless if they make the playoffs. A coaching change is needed. We are to close to becoming a playoff team. What I am looking for a coach who will not let the team play down to their opponents. We lost too many games to weak teams. We should be in position for home field advantage. I vote for a new coach.
If Sunday goes well, the current staff has proven itself. Besides which, it’s always bittersweet with Harbaugh. He would work well in Chicago or the Giants for example
Harbaugh is not the answer even if the Raiders wouldn’t win this week. Mark, don’t hire a friend, hire who’s best for the Raiders. If the Raiders win, keeping the staff with a few minor changes could be the answer.
The main coach that needs to go is Olson. The Raiders already fired him once because he sucks. The only reason he’s back is Gruden wanted a yes man. With Olson calling the plays again the can barely put up 20 points a game. Horrible play calls in the red zone and seems content with field goal after field goal.
One thing is for sure, there is not a black man alive that has a shot at getting the Raiders head coaching job. Only Al Davis had the guts to hire a black and a latino coach. One of whom won two Super Bowls. The NFL is a good old boy white men’s club and ANY white man is preferable over a black or latino man. That’s just the way it is and as Bruce Hornsby said “Some things will never change.” So Raiders fans, get ready for many more years of bluster, bloviation, hyperbole and ineptness.
Here’s what we know for sure:
– Jim Harbuagh, in an interview with MSN sports in December, was asked how much he loves coaching for M. In that interview, Harbaugh said he loves, and he’s happy. Here’s an excerpt from that interview:
” “To me, it’s one of the best seasons in Michigan football, and we were trying to make it greater tonight. It’s still a beginning for this team. It’s where it began last year, and it’ll begin anew this year.” In an addition to that, Harbaugh said that he’d coach for his alma mater for free.
– After the loss in the Orange Bowl Harbaugh was quoted as saying, “We’ll be back,” not “they’ll be back.”
– Another indication that Harbaugh is staying put has to do with his staff, namely both coordinators. Josh Gattis (OC) Mike MacDonald (DC) could have found employment had they wanted to leave to be a head coach at another institution. Especially Gattis. They’re both coming back next year, and Harbaugh is not going to leave those two hanging after they have shown much loyalty by staying.
– Money is not an issue with Harbaugh (hence, his statement about coaching for free). He gave away his bonuses this past season to others who he knew were being affected by the pandemic. He’s already a multi-millionaire. Besides, if he was interested in a big fat paycheck, Michigan is one of only a few college football programs that could match just about any offer from NFL teams.
– Any rumors so far about various claims regarding Harbaugh were proven to be inaccurate. On Friday night, word was that Harbaugh was on a jet headed to Vegas. The only problem with that was the fact that Harbaugh was at Yost Arena enjoying a Michigan hockey game with some of his family. Go to any search engine on the net, type in “Harbaugh at Yost arena on Friday night watching MIchigan hockey). Another rumor that has since been debunked was that Harbaugh skipped a crucial meeting to discuss the ”2021 season and such. I can almost guarantee you that Harbaugh would have NEVER skipped a meeting regarding the Wolverines. Even if he was going to be leaving, he would still show up to a meeting of that nature.
Two organizations have already said that Harbaugh was going to get what he wanted and that as soon as the details are set, an announcement will be made about JH staying:
Detroit Sports Nation – https://detroitsportsnation.com/ex-detroit-sports-radio-host-reports-jim-harbaugh-just-got-what-he-wanted/wgbrady/u-of-m-news/01/08/2022/266982/
From NBC sport: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/jim-harbaugh-stay-at-michigan-leave-for-nfl/1gichfpdzx7xl1gqth6ukg84a2
– The Dolphins are the first team to specifically say they are not going to pursue Harbaugh. Why is that important? Because that statement was made by owner Stephen Ross, who is not only a Michigan graduate, he’s also a die-hard Michigan fan. Apparently, he wants JH to stay at Michigan. And so, just by entertaining the idea of Harbaugh being a candidate for the Miami job, Ross has helped JH by showing U-M administrators the light. In other words, listing Harbaugh as a possible hire for MIami has helped him get what he wanted from Michigan (and it’s not just about a salary, it also has to do with NIL stuff). That’s called leverage.
https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/01/10/jim-harbaugh-brian-flores-dolphins-firing-rumors
Finally, with the Raiders making the playoffs, most people can’t see how Miami would fire a guy who helped turn the season around after a disastrous start..and now, they’re in the playoffs. It’ll be interesting to see what happens. If they win a playoff game, then there’ll be no chance of Vegas firing Bisaccia. Not after turning the season around after the Gruden controversy. It was a remarkable accomplishment.
Now, with any one or two of these facts, there wouldn’t be much to say. However, just like in a court of law, circumstantial evidence can be enough, especially when there’s a lot of it. And clearly, in this case, there is a lot of it.
Now, in the end, Harbaugh might really want to leave the Wolverines. It would surprise me, but who knows. I’m not afraid to be wrong. But I don’t think I am.
Per 247 sports, after they had a conversation with Sam Webb, who is one of the few Michigan insiders who reported who reported the “Harbaugh to Michigan” situation 7 years ago. NFL analysts and other college football analysts told him that there was no way Harbaugh was going to leave a potential NFL job with…guess who…the Raiders. Webb stood his ground, and the rest of the college football and NFL world jumped on board, but only when it was obvious that Harbaugh was headed back to the Wolverines to coach football at his alma mater. Webb told 247sports just about 36 hours ago this:
“Everyone I talked to, and they’ve told me that they believe that Jim Harbaugh will be extended,” Webb told 247Sports.com. “He will remain the coach at the University of Michigan. That’s from several vantage points within the university that’s reaching out to a few people in his circle away from Michigan, they all expect that at the end of the day, he’s happier than he’s ever been. He’s fulfilled. He sees great opportunity on the horizon here. And that ultimately he will be back.”
And just about 24 hours ago:
Mike Florio (another insider), and MSN sports reported this:
“Stephen Ross has indeed been talking to Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh in recent days, per sources. But not to coach the Dolphins.” and, ” Harbaugh is actively talking to the powers-that-be about a new contract (with U-M),” Florio and MSN sports also reported this: Harbaugh has leverage. And he’s using it, openly toying with a return to the NFL and potentially getting a big raise to remain where he remain where he is.”
And on January 8-9, Detroit Sports Nation talked to a former Michigan analyst and former Michigan radio host. This is the most compelling evidence that Harbaugh is staying:
“Geez, hearing Harbaugh is staying at Michigan and got what he wanted, this is potentially HUGE news. Means the $$ cannon is about to get shot and that is good for M.”
The next day (Jan. 9): “Another one (meaning source) telling me he thinks Harbaugh is staying.”
Finally: Harbaugh’s most likely destinations are falling off the table, one by one. The Dolphins – Owner says Dolphins will not pursue Jim Harbaugh. Raiders: Any hope they had regarding JH went bye-bye when Vegas won the other night…solidifying a spot in the playoffs. The backlash would be monumental from firing a guy who just led the Raiders to one of the most unlikely finishes ever, and making the playoffs when most people thought there’d be no chance for a post-season . What Basiaccia did was nothing short of amazing. Add to that the likely hood that he’ll be named coach of the year. As sports columnist Tim Dahlberg put it, “The Raiders have their coach.” And it sure looks like the Chicago Bears have now broadened their pool of possible coaching candidates? If that’s true, Why? Part of the reason could very well be that they now have doubts about Harbaugh leaving U-M. I also find it interesting that Jeff Kerr, on the CBS sports web page, listed his top candidates. He has listed the names of Eric Bieniemy and Flores as number one and two respectively. While Harbaugh is on the list, his name wasn’t even included in the headline. Does that mean Harbaugh isn’t going to the Bears? Not necessarily. But it looks more unlikely than it did 48 hours ago.
So there you have it. When you add up everything above, it sure seems like Harbaugh is staying put. And for the past 3 days, the internet has been chock full of people and sources (all of the souces mentioned above) that say Harbaugh is, more than likely, not leaving Michigan.
Obviously those who run this website don’t want to hear the truth. Harbaugh is NOT leaving Michigan…I guarantee it. It’s shame that people with knowledge of the situation are being ignored. It’s going make even harder on Raider/Bear/Any other franchise that’s looking for a coach. I’ve listed a mountain of circumstantial evidence of why Harbaugh is not going to the NFL, but after my info goes to moderator, it somehow just disappears. One more time: Harbaugh isn’t coming to Vegas. He was never on a jet out to Vegas which was confirmed when he was photographed multiple times at a Yost Arena that night with some family. He never skipped a meeting. On the contrary, he has been told that he’ll get what he wants, and that the details are being ironed out. Vegas would be better off recognizing this, and give the interim the official head coaching job. He took a team most people thought was done, and he’s led them to the playoffs. There’s a good chance he wins coach of the year. The backlash would be immense if Vegas fires him at this point. Raiders fans: Take a lesson from Dolphin fans regarding Harbaugh. Forget about Harbaugh now, and turn your attention to Bisaccia. The disappointment may go down better if you do that.