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Could The Green Bay Packers Target Jim Harbaugh As Next Head Coach?

By Evan Massey
Published on: 10:49 PST, Nov 15, 2016

The Green Bay Packers have been suffering through an embarrassing season thus far in 2016. It has been a rough year for the cheeseheads and there has been a lot of speculation that the team could consider firing head coach Mike McCarthy due to the way that the team has been playing.

If the Packers do decide to move on from McCarthy, there are a lot of coaches who would be interested in taking over the team.

Very rarely does a job open up with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers at the helm. Having the opportunity to coach a team with Rodgers leading the way would be a dream come true for most coaches.

Brad Berreman of FanSided suggested one coach that would send Green Bay into a frenzy of happiness. He mentioned in a recent article that the Packers could target Jim Harbaugh to be the next head coach if McCarthy is indeed fired.

Could the Packers seriously target Harbaugh to be their next head coach? Let’s take a deeper look at the possibility.

McCarthy is far from being out as the Packers’ head coach at this point in the season. Ted Thompson and the Packers have never shown interest in making knee-jerk reaction moves. Many wouldn’t classify the disappointments over the last few years as a knee-jerk reaction, but the Packers’ brass likely won’t make the move to fire McCarthy unless they continue struggling through the end of the regular season and end up missing the playoffs.

That being said, Harbaugh would be a perfect move if the Packers do decide to fire McCarthy.

Harbaugh would immediately bring change to the Packers in many different areas. He is a much better motivator and game planner, while also having great knowledge of both sides of the football. One of the first things he would do is look to improve Green Bay on the defensive side of the football.

Rodgers is already 32-years-old and the Packers cannot afford to waste any more time. Harbaugh is known for working very closely with his quarterbacks, which is why he has succeeded at both the NFL and college football levels. It is likely that Rodgers would welcome the kind of coaching that Harbaugh has brought to the table throughout his career.

During his four seasons as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh led the team to a 44-19 record. He led them to two NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, a Super Bowl win was not in the cards for Harbaugh during his first NFL coaching stint.

Green Bay would be able to offer Harbaugh a more talented team than he had with the 49ers. He may not have as tough of a defense as he had in San Francisco, but the offensive firepower blows San Francisco away.

As of right now, Harbaugh has to be very comfortable with his Michigan Wolverines’ coaching job. He has put together a National Championship contender. It would take quite a sales pitch to convince him to leave Ann Arbor and head back to the NFL sidelines.

Other candidates that could be options for the Packers are Josh McDaniels, Darrell Bevell, Matt Patricia, and perhaps Kyle Shanahan. They are all options that would be potential upgrades over McCarthy.

While there are other names already in the mix if the Packers choose to make a coaching change, Harbaugh’s name has to be at the top of the list. There is a good chance that he won’t come back to the NFL anytime soon, but Green Bay is one of the teams that would have a shot to convince him to leave Michigan.

No matter what ends up happening with the Packers moving forward, they cannot afford to continue the same way that hasn’t worked over the past few years. McCarthy seems to have lost the locker room and it is obvious that there is friction on the sidelines.

Green Bay has to make a move and it seems that Mike McCarthy might end up being that move when everything is said and done.

Do you think the Green Bay Packers should fire head coach Mike McCarthy? Would Jim Harbaugh be the best replacement for McCarthy? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[Featured Image by Charlie Neibergall/AP Images]

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