Chargers hire Jim Harbaugh: Perfect match for both sides?

If you have to hire a head coach, landing the reigning national champion seems like a good place to look. The Los Angeles Chargers got their man on Wednesday, hiring Jim Harbaugh away from Michigan to take over. After nine seasons at the collegiate level, Harbaugh returns to the NFL, where he went 44-19-1 in four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014.

I’ll start with the conclusion: This is a great hire. Things can obviously go haywire on all sides in the NFL, but if the Chargers were going to hire someone to rebuild their organization, Harbaugh had to be the most qualified candidate available, short of former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. And if Harbaugh ever wanted to return to the NFL, this feels like the right place for him to go. There’s still some work left to be done, though, and what happens next for L.A. might be even more intriguing than its hire.

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Before all that, let’s look at this hire from each side’s perspective. Why is this a great fit?

Jump to a section:
Harbaugh’s fit with the Chargers
The Chargers’ reasons for wanting him
The looming decisions to figure out

The Harbaugh side

Two years ago, Harbaugh had an interview with the Vikings, lost out on the position to Kevin O’Connell and said “this is the last time” he would pursue an NFL position. Last year, he had a video meeting with the Broncos before taking his name out of the running for Denver’s job. This year, after winning a national championship, the lure of the NFL and the chance to win a Super Bowl was apparently too strong.

If Harbaugh was going to pursue an NFL job, the Chargers’ opening clearly seems like the sort of role that would best align with what he might look for in an opportunity. Even without considering the finished business at Michigan, he and the Chargers are a better match than the previous openings in Minnesota and Denver. I had reservations about the L.A. opening when I ranked it second among the likely openings earlier this offseason, but there were elements that should appeal to Harbaugh, especially in light of what happened during his first tenure in the league.

To start, there’s a franchise quarterback already in place. Harbaugh will inherit a 25-year-old budding star in Justin Herbert, albeit one who has yet to make the leap from very good quarterback to superstar. Just about everyone believes Herbert to be capable of making that jump, and I’m sure his new coach wouldn’t have taken this job unless he felt the same…