John Harbaugh may not want a Harbaugh Bowl twice per year.
The ex-Ravens coach may skip the Raiders’ opening to avoid facing little brother Jim, the Chargers’ leader, twice per year, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport speculated Wednesday.
“Maybe not as much the Raiders because then you’d have to go against his brother twice a year in the division,” Rapoport said on “Good Morning Football” on Wednesday.
“But John Harbaugh is going to have options. One of the best culture builders and CEO-type head coaches in the NFL. He is not going to be out of work long.”
Harbaugh has become the premier coach on the market after the Ravens fired him Tuesday following 18 years with the franchise, which included a Super Bowl following the 2012 season.
The Giants, Raiders, Titans, Falcons, Cardinals and Browns are the six openings outside of Baltimore and there is wide-spread interest in Harbaugh.
His agent told ESPN seven teams had already reached out after his parting Tuesday, and there are conflicting reports on whether the Dolphins — who currently have Mike McDaniel in the position — are the seventh team.
Betting odds have established the Giants as the favorites, but the Raiders offer intrigue since they own the No. 1 pick.
But the appeal of that selection — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the projected top pick — may not overcome brotherly love.
The Harbaugh brothers have only coached against each other three teams in the NFL, with John owning a 3-0 record against Jim’s 49ers and Chargers teams.
The Ravens beat the 49ers in the regular season in 2011, downed San Francisco in the 2013 Super Bowl — dubbed the “Harbaugh Bowl” — and Baltimore beat the Chargers in 2024.
John said in 2024 after Jim returned to coach the Chargers that competing against one another in critical games is not easy. Being in the same division would afford more of those types of games.
“It’s hard to lose that game. It’s even hard to win that game,” John said, per CBS. “Because you go shake hands — I think there’s some clips coming back out about that whole thing — that was a tough moment. That was a tough moment. It’s not all joy when it’s your brother on the other side of that deal.”
