Source: Panthers owner, Jim Harbaugh talked task
CHARLOTTE, N.C.– Panthers owner David Tepper has actually had a conversation with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh about the opening Carolina will have for the head-coaching position once the 2022 season ends, according to a league source.The discussion was not identified as an interview, the source said.Interviews will not start until after Carolina(6-10)completes the season under interim coach Steve Wilks on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.Wilks, according to league sources, is considered a strong candidate for the full-time task after changing Matt Rhule following a 1-4 start and putting Carolina in position to win the NFC South before a Week 17 loss at Tampa Bay. 1 Related The discussion in between Tepper and Harbaugh, whose group lost to TCU on Saturday in the College Football Playoff semifinals, was initially reported by Queen City News, the Panthers’broadcast partner.Harbaugh has”genuine interest “in the Carolina task, according to Queen City News.Tepper indicated after shooting Rhule, who had no NFL experience prior to getting the Panthers task in 2020 following stints at Baylor and Temple, that
he likely would not aim to the college ranks for his next coach.Harbaugh is various in that he is
a previous NFL quarterback and coach. In 2012, he coached the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl, where they lost 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens coached by his sibling, John Harbaugh.The 49ers returned to the NFC National Championship in the 2013 playoffs under Harbaugh prior to losing to eventual Super Bowl champ Seattle 23-17. After an 8-8 record in 2014, Harbaugh left to end up being the coach at Michigan, where he had been a quarterback from 1982 to ’86 before becoming a first-round draft choice by the Chicago Bears in 1987. Harbaugh’s profession as an NFL player actually ended with Carolina in 2001. He was signed midseason and dressed for 6 games, but never played a down for the 1-15 team.In February, Harbaugh signed a brand-new five-year,$36.7 million contract with Michigan that goes through 2026. That came two weeks after Harbaugh talked to with the Minnesota Vikings.According to his contract, Harbaugh has a$3 million buyout until Year 2, which begins Jan. 11. Harbaugh showed throughout a press conference for the Fiesta Bowl that he would go back to Michigan, however included, “No male knows the future.” Carolina prepares to go through a thorough interview process starting soon after the Sunday ending.
Even if Tepper decides to hire Wilks, who is Black, he has to talk to two other minority prospects outside the organization under the standards of the NFL’s Rooney Rule.Wilks was employed as the coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 but fired after a 3-13 record. He
later on signed up with a claim versus the NFL and several teams for racial discrimination in its hiring practices.