The Falcons are in the thick of things with their head coaching search.
They’ve cast a wide net into the hiring pool, assessing all kinds of candidates. Ben Johnson and Bobby Slowik are still set to interview, while Bill Belichick is primed to interview for the second time this weekend.
It’s clear that Belichick is the current favorite to be the Falcons head coach, but I wouldn’t rule out Jim Harbaugh, who met individually with Arthur Blank. The current Michigan head coach meets the requirements of Atlanta’s owner — pedigree, experience, big name, etc.
To a certain extent, he’s everything Bill Belichick is but more. He’s younger, offensive-centric, and could even be considered somewhat of a quarterback whisperer. If Blank isn’t as enthralled with Belichick as it seems, Harbaugh is the direction he should go.
There will be stiff competition for his services, though. Not only will the Falcons be competing with the Chargers, but they’ll also be competing with Michigan. It does seem Harbaugh is trending toward leaving the college ranks due to the controversy his program is embroiled in, but there’s always a chance he prefers it.
If he does choose to return to the NFL, the Falcons offer more than the Chargers in every facet of the job, except quite possibly the most important one — quarterback. Justin Herbert is among the best players in the league and is said to be the main attraction for Harbaugh.
However, Atlanta has the draft capital, cap space, malleable roster, and an owner willing to provide any resource a head coach would require. One of those things could be an eye-popping salary.
According to a Michigan insider, the rumored offer for Jim Harbaugh from the Chargers is anywhere from $15-18 million per year.
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If Arthur Blank wants Harbaugh and that’s the selling point, the Falcons will have Harbaugh. Atlanta’s owner is a lot of things but cheap isn’t one of them. He’s willing to pay if he believes it’ll bring a Super Bowl to the franchise.
A simple Google search shows Blank is worth over $8 billion while Dean Spanos is worth a modest $1 billion. If it came to whoever had deeper pockets, the Falcons wouldn’t have much competition with the Chargers.
I imagine Jim Harbaugh values the quarterback situation and the owner’s support more than anything. However, if there’s an off-chance he’s chasing dollars and cents, the Falcons are a serious candidate to hire him.
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Photo: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire
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