Did Jim Harbaugh play in the NFL? Chargers HC's football career explored

The deal is done: Jim Harbaugh is returning to the NFL after spending a decade coaching his alma mater, the Michigan Wolverines. Harbaugh last coached the NFL in 2014 when he was in charge of the San Francisco 49ers. He then joined the Michigan Wolverines and led the collegiate powerhouse to a successful period.

After winning the 2023 NCAA championship and after being beset by scandals all season, it seemed like only a matter of time before an NFL team poached him. The Los Angeles Chargers have done that, and now the two Harbaugh brothers will be coaching in the NFL once again.

Jim Harbaugh did play in the NFL, as the iconic coach was a quarterback in the league for over a decade. This article will look at his pro career and see whether he was as good a player as he ended up as a coach.

Jim Harbaugh's NFL career

The Chicago Bears selected Jim Harbaugh in the first round of the 1987 NFL draft after he spent five successful years with the University of Michigan football team.

Jim Harbaugh started his NFL career as a backup to Jim McMahon and later Mike Tomczak. He finally became a regular starter in the 1990 season and never looked back. Harbaugh led the Bears to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 1990 and 1991. He was seen as one of the league's better quarterbacks during that span.

While his later years in Chicago weren't as productive, Harbaugh remained a starter until he left the Bears following the 1993 season.

His next stop was Indianapolis, where he joined the much-maligned 1994 Colts. Harbaugh was one of the franchise's lone bright spots, earning his first and only Pro Bowl nod in the 1995 NFL season. He also led the NFL in passer rating that season.

Harbaugh spent four seasons as the Colts' starting quarterback, leaving the franchise at the end of the 1997 season. He was later added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor.

Jim Harbaugh spent the last years of his professional football career as a journeyman. He spent a season in Baltimore and two in San Diego playing for the Chargers and retired as a non-playing member of the Carolina Panthers.

Harbaugh has taken the head coaching job at one of his former teams, and he will be tasked with bringing glory to the much-maligned Los Angeles Chargers franchise. He will be able to work with a borderline top five QB in Justin Herbert and has been one of the few coaches to achieve genuine success coaching at the collegiate and NFL levels.