Jim Harbaugh shocked the football world when he decided to return to Michigan after interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings for their head coach job. A few reports on Tuesday said Harbaugh was expected to land the job and accept the position. However, that did not happen, and the Vikings are instead hiring Kevin O’Connell.
Did Harbaugh turn down Minnesota after something from their discussions turned him off? Were the Vikings not quite as interested in Harbaugh as maybe it seemed? We may never know the answers to these questions, but what we do know is that Harbaugh will not be their coach. We also do have some reports that attempt to shed light on what happened.
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin says based on the digging she did, it seems like Harbaugh arrived expecting Wednesday to maybe go differently from what the Vikings thought. She reports that it doesn’t seem like the Vikings viewed him quite as the “slam dunk” he did.
Did the Vikings not roll out the red carpet enough for Harbaugh? Were they not prepared to offer him what he wanted in terms of contract and control? Who knows.
It could also just be that the job wasn’t exactly what Harbaugh thought, and the “slam dunk” comment is the Vikings saving face after being turned down.
Whatever the case, Harbaugh is now returning to Michigan, and the Wolverines seem pretty relieved about that.
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