Jim Harbaugh has interviewed for the Los Angeles Chargers head coach job

The Wolverines’ head coach is one step closer to actually leaving for the pros.

The offseason is in full swing for college football, which means, as is tradition, speculation for Jim Harbaugh’s future is grabbing all the headlines.

Confirmed by the organization itself, the Michigan Wolverines ’ head coach interviewed on Monday for the head coach job for the Los Angeles Chargers .

This is the first meeting between Harbaugh and an NFL team this offseason, and it very well could be the only team he meets with. The Las Vegas Raiders are likely to hire interim head coach Antonio Pierce, while the Washington Commanders appear to be going all in on Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. New England has already replaced Bill Belichick with Jerod Mayo, while the Carolina Panthers are a mess of an organization and no coach like Harbaugh should want to touch that job.

Meanwhile, Harbaugh has not been linked to the Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons or Tennessee Titans.

Harbaugh is coming off a 15-0 season, guiding his alma mater to a third consecutive Big Ten title, a Rose Bowl victory, and a National Championship win. Harbaugh’s current contract is good through the 2026 season, but that current contract doesn’t seem to be good enough anymore to keep Harbaugh firmly in Ann Arbor.

Over the weekend at the team’s championship celebration at Crisler Center, Athletic Director Warde Manuel told the crowd he was working on keeping Harbaugh around.

If Harbaugh were to leave for the NFL, the future of Michigan football would be a bit murky. It’s very possible Harbaugh would take some of his current coaches with him to the pro ranks, which would leave a lot of uncertainty heading into 2024. The nucleus is there — on defense at least — for the team to be good once again. But without the national championship team’s head coach, starting quarterback and running back, and countless other key pieces, it’s fair to question what the ceiling for the team would be next season.

But the program is as healthy as it has been in Harbaugh’s nine seasons as head coach, and whoever would take over — whether it be Sherrone Moore or somebody else — wouldn’t have to do a full on culture rebuild. The program is in a great place, but it would be even greater if Harbaugh were to stay in Ann Arbor for the foreseeable future.