Insider: Jim Harbaugh, Chargers close to striking deal

Per NFL Media insider Mike Garafolo, the Chargers and the 60-year-old are meeting in L.A. for a second interview on Tuesday and are close to striking a deal.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported there are still questions about whether they'll show Harbaugh the money, and former Tennessee Titans HC Mike Vrabel also recently interviewed for the job. However, he added Los Angeles is his preferred landing spot, and it appears he's atop its wish list.

He's one of the most coveted candidates in the coaching carousel. He served as San Francisco 49ers HC from 2011-14, where he won Coach of the Year, went 44-19-1 and led the franchise to a Super Bowl XLVII appearance. In nine seasons with Michigan, he's made three College Football Playoff trips and won a national championship.

The Chargers failed to meet expectations in 2023, going 5-12. Justin Herbert is one of the best QBs in the league, though. Before he suffered a season-ending right finger fracture in Week 14, the 25-year-old threw 20 TDs and posted the league's fifth-best QBR (64.3). He could vault to the next level with a proven HC.

They also have the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted they would take Georgia's Brock Bowers, a two-time John Mackey Award winner.

Overall, it seems like a solid move if the Chargers hire Harbaugh. They need to find an elite HC to bounce back and finally challenge their divisional rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, who have won eight consecutive AFC West titles. Los Angeles last won the division in 2009.