NFL Rumor: NFC executive reveals 'real' Jim Harbaugh regret across the league

Before the 2024 NFL season kicked off, the Los Angeles Chargers brought in Jim Harbaugh to be their next head coach following his National Championship with the Michigan Wolverines. Harbaugh was a hot name in the coaching carousel last offseason, but once he got hired by the Chargers, many saw it as a move that other teams would be jealous of. And in a report from Jordan Schultz, it appears there's quite a bit of regret from some teams surrounding the Harbaugh hire.

An NFC general manager texted Schultz: "The amount of regret some teams have for not hiring Jim Harbaugh when they had the chance... It's very real."

In 2024, eight teams hired new head coaches to lead their franchises to greater heights than the coach before. Of the seven teams not to hire Harbaugh, this is how they faired in the coaching carousel.

Now, some teams didn't fire their head coach, but they definitely could've.

For example, the Chicago Bears' Matt Eberflus was a common name thrown around as a coach who should've been fired before the start of the season . However, GM Ryan Poles decided to stick with Eberflus and is now paying the consequences, as the Bears are amid a four-game losing streak.

Was it Ryan Poles GM who texted Jordan Schultz on regret over Jim Harbaugh?

Poles could've been the GM texting Schultz about Harbaugh and the Bears, especially with the ties between Chicago and Harbaugh.

In the 1987 NFL Draft, the Bears selected Harbaugh with the No. 26 pick to be their next quarterback following Jim McMahon. Harbaugh would spend seven seasons with the Bears, leading the team to a 35-30 record, throwing for 11,567 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 56 interceptions.

So, while his time in Chicago didn't result in as much success as Harbaugh would've liked, knowing his iconic competitive nature, it's possible that he could've wanted another shot at winning over Bears fans.

However, following another poor season under Eberflus, the Bears decided to keep their failing head coach and forego an interview with Harbaugh— who was fresh off his National Championship victory.

Instead of Chicago giving Harbaugh another chance to show what he's made of, LA landed the eccentric head coach and has been thankful for the hiring ever since. Harbaugh has led Justin Herbert and the Chargers to a 6-3 record as they look to extend their record with a win over the Bengals in Week 11.

Just imagine what Harbaugh could've done with Caleb Williams and the Bears.