The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly requested permission to interview Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Courtney Cronin.
There has been growing interest between the two sides after the Vikings hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as general manager. Per Cronin, Adofo-Mensah and Harbaugh have a strong relationship, and it’s one of the reasons why the team is showing interest.
Journalist and Michigan sports commentator John U. Bacon has been saying since Monday not to count the Vikings out of the Harbaugh sweepstakes. On Thursday, during an appearance on the Wolverine Digest Podcast, he reported there had been “some communication” between the two sides.
Harbaugh has kept his cards close to the chest throughout this entire ordeal without officially visiting or interviewing with any teams. So if he actually speaks with the Vikings, it would be a big deal.
Add another name to the Vikings head coach search: Minnesota requested permission to interview Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, per @PeteThamel, whose ties to new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have sparked this interest. https://t.co/UP4Qx3SPPr
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) January 30, 2022
Before Mike Zimmer was fired as head coach in Minnesota, I wrote a piece talking about how Harbaugh and the Vikings were a match made in heaven. At the very least, the conversation has become realer than it’s ever been.
Whether the two sides actually work out a deal or not remains to be seen.