NFL analyst recalls telling conversation with Jim Harbaugh offering massive clue to potential 2024 move
Jim Harbaugh has coached in the Super Bowl and now, he will be in the college football playoff championship in a date with the Washington Huskies. However, as the college reaches its zenith, the architect behind its rise ponders a move to the NFL.
Speaking on Get Up on Tuesday, show host Mike Greenberg recalled a potentially revealing conversation between the host and Harbaugh.
"[00:01:03] I was with Jim Harbaugh in a purely social setting, had nothing to do with sports and we were having a conversation that was not about his future," Greenberg said. "It was exclusively about the great young quarterbacks in the NFL, just how much great young quarterback play there is."
He continued, explaining where Harbaugh's mind immediately went:
"He pulled out Justin Herbert. He didn't talk about Patrick Mahomes. He didn't talk about Joe Burrow. He didn't talk about Lamar Jackson. He raved to me about Justin Herbert, again, just in the context of a social conversation nonstop. I will be stunned if they offer him that job and he doesn't take it. [00:01:36]"
Jim Harbaugh's NFL career leaves rosy memories for 49ers fans
Harbuagh's time as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers was somewhat brief, but the coach was explosive in his time with the franchise. He was added to the team in 2011 following a four-year run as the head coach of Stanford. One year before his arrival in the NFL, the 49ers were 6-10 and had been in the midst of a playoff drought extending back to 2002.
In his first year with the franchise, he brought the team to the NFC Championship for the first time since the Steve Young era. The following year, he elevated the team once again beyond the already sky-high expectations to the Super Bowl with quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The team lost the Big Game to Jim's brother John Harbaugh, but the 49ers were not done with the era. The following year, the franchise took a half-step back with a loss in the NFC Championship to Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks.
However, it would take only one more step back for Harbaugh to wipe his hands of the franchise and move on to the college football scene. Since 2015, he has remained with the Michigan Wolverines.
If any of the above quotes are used, credit Get Up and H/T Sportskeeda.