The Los Angeles Chargers landed arguably the top candidate Wednesday in the coaching cycle: Jim Harbaugh, a man who has turned around every team he's coached.
The past two decades bear it out:
Went to the University of San Diego in 2004. Within three years, back-to-back 11-win seasons.
Went to Stanford in 2007. Within four years, a 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl victory.
Went to the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, immediately rattled off three double-digit-win seasons and a Super Bowl appearance.
And over nine years at Michigan: Three 10-win seasons out of four, then a lull, a near-firing ... followed by a three-year stretch of dominance culminating in a national title.
A coaching convention would be fortunate to collectively have these numbers.
And now Harbaugh's tasked with building a winner in Los Angeles, which has an elite quarterback and a history of decent seasons but no championship hardware to show for it -- along with fresh memories of clumsy finishes, high injury rates and a culture of Chargering.
The AFC West just got infinitely more interesting, with a Harbaugh-Justin Herbert duo facing off with the Chiefs' Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes twice a year, to go along with the optimism of the Sean Payton era in Denver and Antonio Pierce's galvanizing presence in Las Vegas.
But the job doesn't come without questions, for both sides.
Why Harbaugh's stint in San Francisco ended, and how that applies to the Chargers
Harbaugh's four-year run as coach of the 49ers, with a 49-22-1 record, ended more abruptly than it probably should have.
San Francisco won at least 11 games in each of Harbaugh's first three seasons, setting up what should have been a perennial contender. By the end of the 2014 season, San Francisco limped to an 8-8 record and whispers of Harbaugh's personality struggles with GM Trent Baalke or ownership grew to a megaphone yell. Harbaugh taking the Michigan job after the season was more expectation than surprise.
Harbaugh is not easy to work with has become a well-worn theme. Many words are used to describe him: Quirky, scattered, wildly competitive. None of them evoke a stress-free work environment. But multiple people close to him believe he's evolved over nearly a decade at Michigan and has unfinished business in the NFL.
And a winning formula will supersede quirks all day.
"If I were hiring a coach this cycle, he'd be my top target, without question," an NFL general manager said.
The allure: Working with Herbert
The answer is unanimous when asking people around the league, or those with ties to Harbaugh, why he wanted the Chargers job.
"He wants to work with that quarterback," said a source close to the coach about Herbert. "He wants to help him maximize his potential."
Few quarterbacks are more gifted than the 25-year-old Herbert, who possesses one of the league's biggest arms to match his prototypical size (6-foot-6, 236 pounds). He's tough, durable (four missed games in four years) and prolific, averaging 4,306 yards and 28.5 touchdowns per season since 2020. His 14,089 passing yards from 2020-22 were the most in NFL history for a quarterback's first three seasons. He's also 30-32 as a starter, which needs to improve. Not all of that is his fault -- .500 is where the Chargers have traditionally lived -- but it's time to elevate the team around him in big moments.
The Chargers believe that will happen with Harbaugh, who has shown a deft touch with quarterbacks and an adaptability in styles. He utilized Colin Kaepernick as a dual threat with the 49ers before that was trendy. He helped Michigan's J.J. McCarthy develop into a complete player and a possible first-round draft choice.
Herbert hasn't had a steady running game in Los Angeles. The Chargers have failed to crack the top 20 in rushing offense in each of the past three seasons. Harbaugh can change that -- especially if he hires a run-game specialist such as Greg Roman to his staff.
The Chargers have blocked current offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who has a good relationship with Herbert, from interviewing for other jobs. Perhaps the Chargers try to keep him, though that seems an unlikely pair.
"He'll bring a power running game that the team desperately needs," an NFL personnel director said of Harbaugh. "I think that will help the quarterback."
The realities of the Chargers roster
The Chargers have enough high-end pieces to compete but harsh realities that could steepen the mini-rebuild in the short term.
Los Angeles is projected to be $34.8 million over the salary cap next season, according to ESPN's Roster Management System. About $75 million of next year's cap is dedicated to aging pass-rushers Khalil Mack ($38.5 million) and Joey Bosa ($36.6 million). Mack turns 33 next month and Bosa, though 28, has failed to surpass 7.5 sacks in three of the past four seasons due to injury or lack of production.
Keenan Allen is 31 but still highly productive, making him an extension candidate to lessen his $34.7 million cap hit before he hits 2025 free agency. Mike Williams ($32.5 million) also is a 2025 free agent and is coming off knee surgery.
Those are the four bloated contracts that need to be addressed. Some deft cap maneuvering and negotiating can soften the blow.
While Los Angeles is often touted as supremely talented, some league personnel say that's not quite the case. They are considered weak at several defensive positions: Defensive tackle, linebacker, corner. Offensive line has pedigree, including Rashawn Slater and Zion Johnson, but needs reinforcements. Especially at center, with Pro Bowler Corey Linsley retiring.
And with Austin Ekeler hitting free agency, it's probably time to reimagine the running back room with more explosion.
"He can get them going, but they are old," an AFC exec said of the Chargers. "They need more juice at several positions. So, it will take some time. But he can build it the right way. I'd like to see them more stout in the middle of the defense and against the run."
The word is Harbaugh will bring Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter with him. And if Minter takes the lead from Ravens coordinator Mike Macdonald -- who was Harbaugh's coordinator at Michigan in 2021 -- then the Chargers will be stout in no time.
Can Chargers ownership and Harbaugh coexist?
This is a question that has been asked within league circles, though somewhat without basis or merit.
Fair or not, the Chargers are perceived as a mom-and-pop operation, hesitant to truly invest in the resources required to win at the highest level. And to get a winner going, Harbaugh will need resources, from assistant coaching salaries to training staff and analytics.
Team president John Spanos recently tried to dispel the idea the Chargers are not all-in, saying in December the team had "no limitations" in its search for a general manager and head coach. That applies to experience and salary.
A new general manager can be an additional conduit to success. The team has not made a hire but is narrowing the field. Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown did a second, in-person interview Wednesday. In a coach-inspired infrastructure, a young, first-time GM such as Brown could work.
Make no mistake: With Atlanta interested and Michigan working overtime to keep him, Harbaugh had leverage. This contract promises to be lucrative. And the Chargers appear to have no problems with that.
As far as intra-office dynamics, it helps that Harbaugh has known the Spanos family for decades. He started 17 games at quarterback for the 1999-2000 Chargers at the tail end of his playing career. He has a good idea whether the two sides can coalesce. And apparently he believes the answer is yes.
Some who have been in Harbaugh's orbit suggest he sometimes acts on a whim, jeopardizing order and structure in the process. Within the college game, for example, he might go straight to the president with a request, bypassing the athletic director.
The Chargers would be smart to accommodate those whims while maintaining a level of structure in which Harbaugh can be himself: A highly motivated idea man with a love for football.