Before eventually giving the job to former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell, the Minnesota Vikings met with Jim Harbaugh in January of 2022 about possibly becoming the team's new head coach.
Many within the Vikings fanbase were intrigued by the idea of the team hiring Harbaugh, who was still the head coach at the University of Michigan at the time, and he seemed like the obvious No. 1 choice for the job.
But for whatever reason, Minnesota decided to pass on Harbaugh to be the franchise's new head coach and went with O'Connell instead.
It was a decision by the Vikings that seemed like a head-scratcher when it initially happened, but looking back at everything that has happened since then, it was definitely the right call.
Vikings and Chargers on two totally different paths in 2026 with Kevin O'Connell and Jim Harbaugh
Eventually, Harbaugh was hired as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, and when the news was revealed, some people (including a very knowledgeable editor of the best Vikings website on the planet) believed it was an opportunity for him to make Minnesota regret its decision to pass on him in 2022.
That's not how things have gone, though.
While the Vikings enjoyed their bye on Sunday, Harbaugh and the Chargers saw their record fall to 0-6 this season following an uninspiring 22-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Dating back to the 2025 season, Los Angeles has now lost its last nine games in row, including the playoffs.
With Harbaugh leading the way, the Chargers have a 7-10 record in their last 17 meaningful matchups. This includes one game in the 2025 postseason, but not the 2025 regular-season finale when Los Angeles sat quarterback Justin Herbert since the team's playoff seed was already locked in place.
In these 17 contests, the Chargers had the luxury of having Herbert, a two-time Pro Bowler, as their starting quarterback for all of them.
Compare that to what O'Connell and Minnesota have done in their last 17 meaningful games, which is achieve an 11-6 record in them with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, Max Brosmer, and Kyler Murray all starting at least once.
Following Sunday's loss to the Chiefs, Harbaugh and the Chargers are now 22-20 in the regular season and playoffs since he arrived in 2024, while the Vikings are 28-12 during that same time span under O'Connell.
Harbaugh seemed like the obvious choice when Minnesota was looking for a new head coach in 2022. He was successful at just about every place he'd been a head coach previously, including when he led the San Francisco 49ers to a spot in the Super Bowl in 2012.
It felt like a no-brainer hire for the Vikings.
But in the middle of O'Connell's fifth season with the organization, Minnesota can sleep soundly at night knowing they made the right decision in 2022 when they said "thanks, but no thanks" to Harbaugh.
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