As news of the Las Vegas Raiders’ firing spree settled Wednesday afternoon, with the franchise cutting loose head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler, and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, the league and the agent community began to speculate about what happens next.
Will the team retain a search firm? Are there already potential candidates on the back burner? Could Raiders owner Mark Davis replicate his single-minded approach in 2018 that brought Jon Gruden back? Could he seek guidance from others for his fifth head coach hire since taking over in 2011?
And the burning question that has come up twice before: Is there any chance Jim Harbaugh could become the Raiders’ head coach?
This brings us back to 2014 and 2022 when the Raiders and Davis were rumored to be interested in Harbaugh. The speculation has resurfaced, especially with the ongoing NCAA investigation into Michigan’s alleged on-site sign-stealing.
On Wednesday, the Raiders’ pursuit of Harbaugh garnered questions about whether NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would uphold any sanctions imposed by the NCAA on Harbaugh. This raises an important point – in 2011, the NFL pressured the Indianapolis Colts to effectively suspend former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel after he resigned from the university amidst an NCAA investigation.
It’s unclear whether the NFL could again hold a coach responsible for NCAA sanctions. However, some experts believe commissioner Goodell has the power to punish coaches and enforce legal arbitration if necessary.
Of course, these are all theoretical questions. Harbaugh has yet to indicate whether he plans to leave Michigan for an NFL job. There are media reports that suggest he may sign a contract extension with the Wolverines, making any interest from the NFL irrelevant.
Furthermore, the NCAA investigation is ongoing, and any determinations and subsequent appeals process could take months, if not years, to finalize. Until the investigation concludes, nothing tangible can occur.
However, based on Goodell’s previous stance on Tressel’s hiring, it’s reasonable to assume that teams pursuing Harbaugh would want clear answers to two questions: Would an NFL team be pressured to enforce NCAA sanctions if they were employing Harbaugh? And if a team refused to uphold the sanctions, would Goodell take action?
These are the questions that the Raiders and any other team interested in Harbaugh will be asking in the coming months. Until there are concrete answers, all other suggestions and speculation will continue to swirl around Michigan and its head coach.
