The Los Angeles Chargers were scheduled to meet for a second time with University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh on Tuesday. Although nothing is official yet, one prominent NFL insider reported that the team is closing in on securing Harbaugh as its next head coach.
If such a deal does happen, it would be a big coup for a Chargers franchise that has disappointed its fans so much over the years, not just with its play on the field but also with some of its coaching hires.
With many now expecting Harbaugh to be on the sidelines for the Bolts this fall, a well-tenured NFL head coach with ties to Southern California is reportedly “making a push” for the job: Pete Carroll.
Los Angeles has reportedly met with a wide range of candidates, and given the reputation the Spanos family, which owns the team, has for being unwilling to spend top dollar, anything is possible at this point.
NFL News & Rumors: Pete Carroll, Los Angeles Chargers Updates
But if the Chargers turn down Harbaugh or vice versa, perhaps Carroll would be a solid consolation prize.
He recently left the Seattle Seahawks after 14 seasons at the helm there. Upon taking over the Seahawks in 2010, he quickly turned them into an elite team, and they won the Super Bowl during the 2013 season while coming very close to repeating as world champs the following year.
In the Los Angeles area, Carroll is perhaps best remembered for his nine-year stint as the head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans starting in 2001. There, he won seven straight Pac-10 (now Pac-12) titles, back-to-back AP National Championships and the 2006 Rose Bowl, which gave the Trojans the BCS crown.
However, a scandal in which it was revealed that multiple players, including running back Reggie Bush, had accepted improper gifts, resulted in them vacating that BCS title.
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