Jim Harbaugh Confident He’ll Be Next Vikings Head Coach

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, current Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh will head to Minnesota for his interview with the Vikings on Wednesday and is confident that they’ll ultimately land the job. 

This comes after Chris Balas of TheWolverine.com reported that Harbaugh plans to sign with the Vikings and his interview tomorrow is a “formality” at this point. 

Balas adds that Harbaugh was not in his office on Tuesday and sources have told him that while he didn’t address the team, Harbaugh did say some “goodbyes” and “thank yous” on Monday.

Wednesday is an interesting day for Michigan given that it’s National Signing day. However, Balas says that it had been business as usual with Harbaugh recruiting and making his spring schedule until Monday. 

“Everyone is wondering if they’ll have a job much longer,” a source tells Balas. “The team will be notified of everything on Thursday.”

Here’s the list of candidates for the Vikings’ job:

• Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh (Finalist)
• Giants DC Patrick Graham (Finalist)
• Rams OC Kevin O’Connell (Finalist)
• Rams DC Raheem Morris (Finalist)
• Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon (Interviewed)
• Cowboys OC Kellen Moore (Interviewed)
• Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles (Interviewed)
• Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett (Interviewed)
• Cowboys DC Dan Quinn (Withdrawn)
• 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans (Withdrawn)

Harbaugh, 58, was a first-round pick out of Michigan by the Bears in 1987. He played 14 years in the league before becoming a coach, first with the Raiders. He was hired by San Diego as head coach in 2004 and took the same position with Stanford in 2007. 

The 49ers hired Harbaugh as their head coach in 2007. He was fired in 2014 and hired as head coach at Michigan. 

During his four years with the 49ers, he led them to a record of 44-19-1 (69.5 percent), which included three playoff appearances and an NFC Championship.

At Michigan, Harbaugh’s teams have produced a record of 61-24 (71.8 percent). That includes a 1-5 record in bowl games.