NFL Rumors: New Vikings GM could help franchise land Jim Harbaugh
The NFL rumors concerning Jim Harbaugh have been running rampant for some time now as nine teams look to fill head coaching vacancies. His name has shown up in rumors linking him to just about every single team, which makes sense given his NFL history and overall status in the coaching ranks.
The Minnesota Vikings now have an interesting connection to the coach based on their new GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Adofo-Mensah was previously with the Cleveland Browns organization. But before that, he spent years with the San Francisco 49ers. That includes some overlap to when Harbaugh led the Bay Area team.
Jim Harbaugh’s best NFL fit is Las Vegas, but "Don't count the Vikings out,” per @Johnubacon. https://t.co/ir3fHzAP9Z
The new Vikings GM is focused on analytics, and it's possible Harbaugh would want to work with someone from his NFL past. The only question now is whether he would want to lead a Vikings franchise with so many question marks.
The confusing offseason of Jim Harbaugh
Does he even want to coach in the NFL? That is the first question that must be discussed within these rumors. Yes, he has had some overlap with Adofo-Mensah in the past. But it was only for a few seasons and it's not like Adofo-Mensah was the GM of the 49ers.
Let's say he does want to make the jump to the NFL. He has a connection with the Miami Dolphins because owner Stephen Ross went to Michigan. He has also been linked to the Las Vegas Raiders job and will likely be paid a whopping salary to lead that franchise. Coaching the Chicago Bears would make sense, too, because he could work with a young quarterback in Justin Fields.
The only opening that is out of the question is with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That is because Harbaugh and GM Trent Baalke had major differences when they worked together with the 49ers.
Teams are also moving fast in their head coaching searches. The Michigan leader is not even conducting formal interviews at a time when teams are in second interviews with candidates.
So how could he end up with the Vikings? That would involve Adofo-Mensah telling ownership they need to pay Harbaugh whatever he wants. He would also likely want some say in personnel decisions if he is going to leave a comfortable job at Michigan.
Why the John U Bacon report on #Vikings-Harbaugh could have some legs.
1. Crispy & Delicious
2. Bacon's written several books on Michigan. He's an insider's insider.
3. He has nothing to gain by running with a shoddy source or rumors.
The rumors are not going to stop until every single vacancy is filled. The Vikings are just the latest team to jump into the conversation because of their new GM. But it is entirely possible there is already internal discussion on poaching the head coach away from Michigan.
NFL teams work in mysterious ways, and owners will do just about anything to land a star head coach. So until the Vikings fill the opening, expect to hear Harbaugh links and rumors every single day.