Given all the controversy surrounding Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal, it’s hard not to wonder whether Jim Harbaugh wants to finally make a return to the NFL. This is especially the case if his undefeated Wolverines end up winning this season’s college football National Championship. While rumors about Harbaugh coming back to the pros usually percolate around this time every year (and amount to nothing), there seems to be actual fire to the smoke this time.
All signs might point to the Chicago Bears.
According to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, the Bears have had serious conversations about making a move on Harbaugh should they fire the incumbent Matt Eberflus. The Bears are currently 4-8 and would likely need a red-hot finish to the 2023 season — perhaps even an NFC playoff berth — for Eberflus to return. That doesn’t seem likely, making a head coach vacancy for the league’s charter franchise feel inevitable.
With everything the Bears have endured over the last decade, cycling through inept coach after coach, Harbaugh could be the stabilizer Chicago believes it needs to finally become a marquee team again.
Here’s the clip of Diana Russini linking Harbaugh to the #Bears
Going to be a roller coaster the rest of this season as Kevin Warren tries to decide the direction he wants to take this team in. pic.twitter.com/TC3E4mp1DH
— Nolan (@nolpup) November 30, 2023
Harbaugh’s potential NFL return with the Bears would make a lot of sense from a nostalgia perspective, too. (Note: Martellus Bennett undoubtedly has a finger on the pulse of this franchise.) Harbaugh played with the team for seven seasons from 1987 to 1993, acting as their primary starting quarterback for four of them. Returning to the Bears to rebuild them into a powerhouse would be a homecoming of sorts and, to some, would probably be one of Harbaugh’s dreams.
After all the hardship the woeful Bears have seen lately, bringing Harbaugh to team headquarters seems like a layup for an organization with minimal consistent leadership.
Bears fans were so happy to hear the team is seriously entertaining hiring Harbaugh
.@dan_bernstein is all in on Jim Harbaugh being the next Bears head coach.
"His shell of crazy will serve as armor against being Bears-ed," Bernstein says.
Listen to Bernstein and @LaurenceWHolmes discuss the idea:https://t.co/YozHnQtNKz pic.twitter.com/JGvgb6mz4Z
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) November 30, 2023
Gonna play this on a loop for the last hour of my birthday… https://t.co/kwyVMdoFnJ
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr23) November 30, 2023
Jim Harbaugh as the next head coach of the #Bears is absolutely something that I would welcome.
Harbaugh is a great coach, and clearly knows how to rally a team and win at any level.
With a potentially murky future at Michigan, things could get very interesting soon 👀
— Chris Maltby (@ChrisMaltbyBD) November 30, 2023
https://t.co/QGaJfilAuR pic.twitter.com/w7PmoX4Nop
— DaWindyCity Productions (@dwcprodz) November 30, 2023
https://t.co/jGKzUSkbE4 pic.twitter.com/IuD6yu5lcy
— TW (@Tylow237) November 30, 2023
…oh? https://t.co/6XnMB9GPb3 pic.twitter.com/BQrVEPew7B
— Albaro (@martinez3507) November 30, 2023
the plan is almost complete pic.twitter.com/qi0cKfILi8 https://t.co/BsLgCUwHaf
— klay❔ (@kIaymemeson) November 30, 2023
https://t.co/BFuTGfEteX pic.twitter.com/jq1vMEZqbU
— Chris Kallas (@ChrisKallas70) November 30, 2023
https://t.co/UXSoFIfmpO pic.twitter.com/Aw0hXRBu4q
— gd (@YasmaniGrandaI) November 30, 2023
Keep this train moving…. Wish it into existence 🙏🏿 https://t.co/NUCf4D9rVx
— Mr English Bear (@MrEnglishBear) November 30, 2023
3 NFC Championships in 4 years is not a fluke kids. While I know it’s a much different game, his leadership plus football ops could be the missing piece. https://t.co/YLCFIvNqM5
— Stephen (@Steve_purcell32) November 30, 2023
https://t.co/a9ayKBjsNI pic.twitter.com/TQP6qfO6UD
— Scott Koral (@sdkoral) November 30, 2023
