It went under the radar, but the Falcons announced Tuesday night that they have officially interviewed Jim Harbaugh for their vacant head coach position.
Jim Harbaugh should be at the top of the Falcons list of head coach candidates. He’s succeeded at every level, turning Stanford into a double-digit win program before leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship in three consecutive seasons and falling just short in the Super Bowl against his brother John Harbaugh then proceeding to Michigan and winning this year’s National Championship.
Beyond just winning though, Harbaugh has proven he can adapt to his personnel. He won with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco. Then turned around and won a National Championship with JJ McCarthy, three very different quarterbacks.
Harbaugh has the experience, track record, and offensive pedigree that the Falcons should covet when vetting a head coach. However, they are far from the only ones who will be after him, and he may want to join an organization that is more stable at the quarterback position.
However, he could see the Falcons’ lack of a quarterback as a positive, a blank canvas of sorts. Moreover, few owners would be willing to offer the kind of salary that Arthur Blank would. Atlanta’s owner wants to win and is more than willing to pay for it.
The Falcons will have stiff competition for Jim Harbaugh, including Michigan.
Check out the other Falcons head coach candidates
Falcons head coach candidate: Ben Johnson
Falcons head coach candidate: Bobby Slowik
Falcons head coach candidate: Anthony Weaver
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