Recently, Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports added his name to the list of NFL writers who have suggested that the figurative seat belonging to Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is at least somewhat warm amid the Chargers’ 0-4 start to the season.
For a piece published on Wednesday, ESPN NFL insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano addressed the Harbaugh-related chatter hovering over the Chargers this fall.
Could Jim Harbaugh be given a chance to find a solution for the Chargers?
“The Chargers couldn’t have anticipated their team hurtling toward irrelevancy in Jim Harbaugh’s third season,” Fowler wrote. “Barring a turnaround, it feels like someone will shoulder the blame in Los Angeles. Harbaugh has a massive five-year deal (reportedly worth $80M) and has built up sweat equity with back-to-back 11-win seasons. Perhaps the Chargers would ask him to stay on and rebuild the staff this offseason, depending on how things look over the next few months. And things look bleak, to be clear. But he essentially just rebuilt the staff, so not sure that’s a solution.”
While Harbaugh seems committed to keeping first-year Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, it may merely be a matter of time before Harbaugh experiences a change of heart. ESPN stats show that the Chargers ended Week 4 ranked 21st in the NFL with an average of 306.8 yards per game and 29th with an average of 16.8 points scored per contest. According to Pro Football Reference, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert heads into Week 5 ranked 28th out of 29 qualified players with a 28.0 adjusted QBR for the campaign.
Jim Harbaugh, others with the Chargers may be “in trouble”
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the winless Chargers as 3.5-point underdogs for this coming Sunday’s home game against a 2-2 Denver Broncos side that is going through offensive problems of its own this fall. Graziano seems to think Harbaugh is among people associated with the Chargers who could ultimately be shown the door if things go from bad to worse for the club.
“Barring a massive turnaround, you have to think someone ends up in trouble with the Chargers,” Graziano added. “Head coach? GM? Quarterback? All of the above?”
Harbaugh almost certainly would become a hot head-coaching candidate if the Chargers went in a different direction this coming January. For what it’s worth, such a reality didn’t prevent Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti from firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh this past winter.