There was a lot of optimism that Jim Harbaugh would be the next head coach for the Minnesota Vikings by Wednesday night. Seconds, minutes and even hours passed without a peep regarding the ongoing interview involving the Michigan coach.
Everything went radio silent.
And then the news dropped that nothing came of the interview, and Harbaugh was back on a plane and returning to Michigan for the 2022 season. Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported a text message he received from Harbaugh after the interview.
“The Wilf family and organization are first class all the way and in every way and Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah] is a shining star! The team is poised for greatness,” said Harbaugh.
I just got a text from Jim Harbaugh, returning to Michigan job after #Vikings interview: “The Wilf family and organization are first class all the way and in every way and Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah) is a shining star! The team is poised for greatness.” Classy comments from Harbaugh.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) February 3, 2022
The Vikings are now expected to hire Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as their next head coach.
It still doesn’t make the brief Harbaugh tease any less confusing. According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the two sides had completely different mentalities from the very beginning. Harbaugh approached Wednesday’s meeting as basically a done deal, while the Vikings were simply conducting another interview as they have with every other candidate.
Time will tell if the Vikings made the right choice or not.
