Mast is an Associated Press reporter.
If the Las Vegas Raiders win or lose against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, owner Mark Davis should make a big splash in the head coaching hiring cycle, like he did four years ago.
Four years after persuading Jon Gruden to leave the Monday Night Football booth, Davis can convince Jim Harbaugh to leave Michigan for Vegas.
Harbaugh may be interested in a return to the NFL. One of his sources thinks it's true.
The Chicago Bears, who drafted Harbaugh in the first round of the 1987 draft, and the Oakland Raiders, who had personal connections to Harbaugh, were connected to the dots.
He started his coaching career there in 2003 and there's already a solid quarterback in place in Carr, so it might be difficult for him to say no to the Raiders head coaching job. He is friends with Raiders owner Mark Davis.
Raiders owner Mark Davis.
Davis' history with a renowned head coach could work in his favor. The lure of pro competition may bring Harbaugh to Vegas, where he could elevate a potential playoff team over the hump.
The Raiders have had mediocre or non-competitive teams for most of the past two decades.
Harbaugh doesn't have to fix a lot of player personnel with Carr and the improved defense. Harbaugh has helped teams make immediate strides in the table. A.500 team can be turned into a perennial contender with his coaching style and staff.
Harbaugh started his head-coaching career at the University of San Diego in 2004, and led the program to its first conference title in 2005. In the following year, the team repeated as Pioneer Football League champion.
Harbaugh took over a program that had gone 1-11 before he arrived and turned it into a 12-1 record by his fourth and final season. The Cardinal won more games each year under his guidance, even though he had quarterback Andrew Luck.
888-276-5932 888-276-5932s Jim Harbaugh.
Harbaugh accepted the San Francisco 49ers' job, but remained in California. In four seasons with the team, he amassed an impressive 44-19-1 record and led the club to three consecutive NFC Championship Games.
Harbaugh put together a quality coaching staff that included Greg Roman, who's had seven top-12 scoring offenses in nine seasons, and Vic Fangio, one of the league's best defensive-minded coaches.
Harbaugh isn't afraid to make tough roster decisions. Alex Smith was benched by the 49ers as the head coach in favor of Colin Kaepernick. San Francisco advanced to the Super Bowl.
Harbaugh went to Michigan after an 8-8 season in San Francisco and elevated the program to double-digit wins in four out of six years.
The Big Ten title was won by the UM in 2021, defeating Ohio State who had dominated the conference for nearly two decades.
Harbaugh has shown he can surround himself with brilliant football minds to maximize talent. The ideal personality for the Raiders is the 58-year-old, who has a young squad with some off-field issues.
The Raiders have made some disastrous draft picks.
Over the past three drafts, Vegas has missed the mark on several early-round picks, including defensive end, safety and wide receiver. He has committed 14 penalties and eight sacks.
Jim Harbaugh is a reporter for the Associated Press.
Harbaugh can work with a team on the verge of a breakthrough. In his first stint as an NFL coach, he didn't have full control over the roster, so he was able to work with general manager Mike Mayock to change weak areas on the depth chart.
Critics may question Harbaugh's ability to win big games because of a Super Bowl loss and his 1-5 record against Ohio State during his time at Ann arbor, but he would walk into a situation with a team that's ready to win now with a good quarterback.
Harbaugh would have to strengthen the run game, which he has done at Michigan and in San Francisco.
The 15th-ranked rushing offense in the 2020s is the UM. The 49ers had a top-eight ground attack every year.
Harbaugh can bring the physical element back to the Raiders offense, which would bode well for Carr, who's flourished with a top 10 rushing offense and performs well in play-action designs.
He's thrown for over 800 yards on 89 play-action pass attempts. Carr would like to see a stronger run game. Going into Week 18, Vegas has the fourth-fewest rush attempts and yards.
Rich Bisaccia is the interim head coach of the Raiders.
The Raiders will finish the season with Rich Bisaccia, who has done a great job considering the circumstances, taking over in an interim role after Week 5. Vegas has gone 5-5 since then.
Davis can't lose sight of the bigger picture despite the fact that the Silver and Black may make the playoffs.
If you compare Harbaugh's track record to that of Bisaccia, you can't choose between the two. The latter has not held a full-time head-coaching position in his career. The latter has a 70 percent winning percentage at the NFL level.
If Harbaugh wants to coach the Raiders, you should give him the job if Davis doesn't make a decision on Bisaccia yet.
Maurice Moton is a reporter for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on the social networking site.
