Many expect University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh to return to the NFL next season, but could it be with the Las Vegas Raiders?
Harbaugh recently hired agent Don Yee to represent him, according to Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel of ESPN. Yee has deep NFL ties and represents both Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
But here’s the catch: Brady is the client who made Yee’s name known, and which NFL owner does Brady have a strong connection with? Raiders owner Mark Davis, and Brady is making a push to become part owner of the franchise.
While this could all just be a big coincidence, Las Vegas could very well have an opening at head coach if it ends up not entirely satisfied with the job interim coach Antonio Pierce has done, and Harbaugh is likely going to be available.
Let’s also remember this: Brady played his collegiate football at Michigan, and while he is not directly tied to Harbaugh, he certainly has a relationship with him and could end up trying to convince him to take his talents to Vegas if the Raiders are interested.
Of course, there is a roadblock here.
Raiders players seem to love Pierce, who took over as interim head coach when Josh McDaniels was fired at the end of October.
While Las Vegas hasn’t exactly been a world-beater since Pierce took the reins, the club has seemed to respond well as a whole and has gone 4-4. That included a 63-point effort in a blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers and a huge Christmas Day victory against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Pierce has fully embraced his role as the team’s leader and has appeared to stamp his name on the club’s newfound physical, smashmouth style of play, so perhaps he has done enough to win over Davis and the rest of the Raiders’ front office.
Pierce’s fate could ultimately depend on how the squad looks in its season finale against the Denver Broncos next week.
Regardless, expect to hear Jim Harbaugh’s name connected to Las Vegas in the coming weeks. He last coached in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers back in 2014.
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