LOS ANGELES — In his first interview since taking the Chargers coaching job, Jim Harbaugh told CBS he has spoken with some of the team’s top players, including wide receiver Keenan Allen, safety Jr. Derwin James and quarterback Justin Herbert.
Harbaugh said meeting Herbert left him feeling “a little starstruck.”
Harbaugh, who won a national championship at Michigan State earlier this month, said he and his family were “torn between” about returning to the NFL. Harbaugh played quarterback for 14 seasons in the NFL, spending the last two years with the Chargers (1999-2000).
He coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, but his tenure was marked by controversy. He feuded with the team’s front office and top brass, ultimately leading to Harbaugh leaving to coach at Michigan in 2014, a year after his contract expired.
But Harbaugh said the opportunity with the Chargers now makes sense to him.
“I love Michigan State, but I also love the NFL. There is no Lombardi in college football,” Harbaugh said. “I still have a lot of sand left in my hourglass and I want to try it.”
Harbaugh replaces Brandon Staley, who finished his 48-game season as Chargers head coach with a .500 record and two of the most embarrassing losses in franchise history: Los Angeles lost its first 27-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the postseason. On December 14, the team lost 63-21 to the Las Vegas Raiders, leading to his firing the next morning.
Harbaugh is tasked with turning around a Chargers team that is 5-12 this season and is expected to be $54.2 million over the salary cap next season.
“We work together. We win together. It’s worth it,” Harbaugh said of the culture he hopes to build with the Chargers. “The hard work, the sacrifice, the stress, all of that, why would anyone put themselves through that? Because the reward is just so good.”
Harbaugh will hold an introductory news conference on Thursday.
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