The Los Angeles Chargers announced the hiring of Jim Harbaugh as the franchise's next head coach Wednesday, bringing the recent national champion in from the University of Michigan.
The agreement ends years of speculation that Harbaugh would eventually make the jump back to the NFL after previously leading the San Francisco 49ers to a massive turnaround that culminated in a Super Bowl appearance against his brother's Baltimore Ravens in 2013.
The Chargers' job came open when the team fired Brandon Staley in the middle of his third season as the team struggled mightily after a decent start.
The possibility of pairing an experienced, proven winner of a head coach like Harbaugh with superstar quarterback Justin Herbert always seemed like the likely eventual path, and the Chargers did not let Harbaugh leave Los Angeles as he met with team officials for the second time this week.
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How Will the Chargers Look Under Harbaugh?
The hiring is a massively intriguing one because it immediately makes the Chargers a top destination for both player talent and potential new members of the coaching staff.
Harbaugh will have the opportunity to fill out his staff, and he inherits a roster led by Herbert, star left tackle Rashawn Slater and a group of aging veterans on expensive contracts.
There could be some pain coming for the Chargers in terms of moving on from some of those veterans to create room under the salary cap, but having quarterback and left tackle figured out is nearly half the battle in this league.
The AFC West immediately becomes more intriguing, with Andy Reid and Sean Payton already established as veteran coaches within the division.
The Chargers are still looking for a new general manager who will bring in a new philosophy when hired, but it will be telling how the new braintrust approaches veterans like Mike Williams, Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Keenan Allen in decisions to keep or move on from such core players.
One advantage the Chargers could have in building their roster as a result of this hire is in the draft. Harbaugh will bring years of the deepest knowledge of the current college football landscape, having recruited, scouted, and game planned against the best of the best as Michigan has been a College Football Playoff presence lately.
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