Should the Vikings make Jim Harbaugh their next head coach?

Rumored to have an interest in returning to the NFL, should Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh be the guy the Minnesota Vikings choose to replace Mike Zimmer?

2014 marked the beginning of the Mike Zimmer era for the Minnesota Vikings. But that year also saw the Jim Harbaugh era in the NFL come to an end after four impressive seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

Since then, the Vikings have experienced a variety of ups and downs with Zimmer leading the way and Harbaugh has gone on the be the head coach at the University of Michigan.

This year, Harbaugh is in the middle of this best season at Michigan and Zimmer pretty much has one foot out of the door in Minnesota. With there being recent rumors about the Michigan head coach having an interest in returning to the NFL sidelines, should he be someone the Vikings attempt to hire as the guy to replace Zimmer?

Could the Minnesota Vikings convince Jim Harbaugh to leave Michigan?

During his seven seasons with Michigan, Harbaugh has been able to lead the school to a good amount of success. But this year is easily the most success Michigan has experienced with the former 49ers head coach leading the way.

Michigan currently has a 12-1 record and they are one of the four teams that will be taking part in this year’s College Football Playoff.

Despite his success this season, Harbaugh might still have the itch to return to coaching in the NFL. Last year, there were rumors of him having interest in returning to the pros, but nothing ever came of it.

Some might not be a fan of his personality, but no one can really argue against Harbaugh’s past success in the NFL. In four seasons from 2011 to 2014, he led the 49ers to three appearances in the NFC Championship, one appearance in the Super Bowl, two NFC West titles, and the team never finished with a losing record with him in charge.

Harbaugh’s departure in San Francisco wasn’t the result of the team playing poorly or him being difficult to work with. Egos inside the 49ers’ front office just grew too large and they felt they could get the job done without the head coach.

San Francisco has won more than six games in a season just once since Harbaugh was let go after the 2014 campaign, so it’s pretty obvious that getting rid of him was an all-time terrible decision by the franchise.

In Minnesota, the addition of Harbaugh could produce quick results, and his arrival might allow the team to keep the majority of the top players on their current roster.

During his first year with the 49ers in 2011, Harbaugh took a team that finished 6-10 in 2010 and led them to a 13-3 record and an appearance in the NFC Championship. Oh yeah, and he did all of this with Alex Smith as San Francisco’s starting quarterback.

It’s not often that there’s a guy outside of the league with a 69.5 career winning percentage in the NFL who is possibly available. So if the rumors about Harbaugh’s interest in returning to the pros pop up again in a few weeks, the Vikings should be among the teams in pursuit of his services.

(Update: Minnesota landing Harbaugh is now a little more believable as the current Michigan head coach is reportedly interested in coaching in the NFL again according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.)