Jim Harbaugh reveals why he is not the new Vikings head coach

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh recently commented on why he didn’t end up getting hired by the Minnesota Vikings after his interview on Wednesday.

After it was revealed that he was a finalist to become the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, most assumed that Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh was going to get the job following his interview with the team on Wednesday.

Instead, Harbaugh is returning to Michigan for the 2022 season, and the Vikings will reportedly hire Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as their new head coach according to multiple reports.

Many questions still remain unanswered following Harbaugh’s interview with Minnesota, especially since he was viewed by many as the favorite to replace Mike Zimmer.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh explains why the Minnesota Vikings didn’t hire him

Recently, Harbaugh spoke to the Detroit Free Press’ Mitch Albom about returning to Michigan after meeting with the Vikings.

Albom revealed that midway through his interview with Minnesota, Harbaugh began to realize that the team’s interest in him wasn’t as large as he had believed it was heading into the meeting on Wednesday.

"“I’m an honest person. There was a large pull there [for the NFL]. But I didn’t feel it was that way for both parties. And that’s it. That’s my mindset now.”"

Harbaugh was a candidate that was suggested by new Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah before he was even hired by the team. So there’s a good chance that most involved in the hiring process didn’t really have much interest in making Harbaugh Minnesota’s new head coach to begin with.

It sounds like the Michigan head coach was really going to have to blow the Vikings away during his interview and convince the team that some of the problems he’s had with his superiors in the past weren’t going to become an issue.

Harbaugh clearly wasn’t able to do enough in his meeting with Minnesota to convince them to hire him. But O’Connell certainly did and now the future of the Vikings will be led by a 36-year-old offensive-minded head coach.