Hopefully, Jim Harbaugh didn’t have “A contract offer from the Carolina Panthers” on his birthday wishlist.
The head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, who may soon be venturing away from Ann Arbor, turned 60 years old on Saturday. But according to The Athletic senior NFL insider Dianna Russini, he proably won’t be spending the start of his 60’s venturing towards Charlotte, N.C.
In her report from this morning, Russini notes that the Panthers are “unlikely to go in that direction.”
Owner David Tepper reportedly had conversations with Harbaugh last year. But, as he admitted to reporters in January about his hiring of Matt Rhule, Tepper believes he made a mistake by hiring a “CEO-type head coach,” a role Harbaugh might very well command.
Russini also adds a nugget on Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who may also be in line for a head-coaching opportunity this offseason.
She writes:
Speaking of candidates, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is expected to get an opportunity to interview for a head coaching job. While Tepper was angry about his team’s offense, he has been pleased with the defense. We’ll see if Evero wants to stay or gets another opportunity.
Despite having to deal with a monsoon of injuries and some not-so-complementary football from the team’s struggling offense, Evero has done an extremely admirable job for Carolina. Heading into the final three weeks of the season, his unit ranks third in total defense—having allowed the third-fewest yards per game (291.6).
