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After hiring a general manager, the Minnesota Vikings are now shifting their focus on getting a new head coach to replace Mike Zimmer. Their first target? Michigan Wolverines tactician Jim Harbaugh.
According to a report by ESPN, the Vikings have requested permission to interview Harbaugh for their vacant head coaching position. The 58-year-old coach had been linked recently with the likes of the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders, but all three teams appeared to be moving on to a different direction.
Now, just when Michigan is relaxing a bit as it becomes less likely that their coach would leave them, the Vikings come into the picture.
Per ESPN:
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Harbaugh has emerged as a candidate in part because of a strong relationship with new Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, with whom Harbaugh overlapped while he was the coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Adofo-Mensah worked in San Francisco's front office in research and development and worked with Harbaugh in 2013 and 2014.
A source told ESPN's Courtney Cronin that the relationship between Adofo-Mensah and Harbaugh is one of the primary drivers of the franchise's interest in Harbaugh.
It is certainly interesting to see what the Vikings will do with Jim Harbaugh should they be granted permission to interview him and actually talk to the veteran tactician. The Michigan coach has long been rumored to be leaning on getting back to the professional level, so an offer from the Minnesota franchise could be difficult to pass up.
If the Vikings end up hiring Harbaugh, however, the Wolverines reportedly have Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule as a target to replace him. Rhule has been rumored to be considering several college options this past season, so it might not be a longshot for Michigan to get a pro-experienced coach to man the sidelines.
