Would Jim Harbaugh returning to NFL with Chicago Bears make sense?

Putting our objective lens for a second, there’s no argument that can be made in which Nagy should be in the same conversation as Harbaugh. It’s not close. The two are from different planets.

• Jim Harbaugh NFL record: 44-19-1
• Matt Nagy NFL record: 34-30

See what we’re talking about? Actually, different galaxies. Harbaugh would bring a sense of respect back to a long-downtrodden Bears organization, one that has to a large extent lacked relevancy on the broader NFL stage since the days of Mike Ditka. It also doesn’t hurt that Harbaugh played football under Ditka at Soldier Field.

Justin Fields would benefit from Jim Harbaugh

Again putting on our objective lens, Harbaugh helped turn a raw Colin Kaepernick into a Super Bowl quarterback. Sure, that situation didn’t end well, but it could bode well for Fields’ progression as a potential franchise quarterback in Chicago.

• Justin Fields stats (2021): 59% completion, 1,870 yards, 7 TD, 10 INT, 73.2 rating, 420 rushing yards, two touchdowns

The Bears invested a whole heck of a lot to trade up for Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft. More than even their next head coach, he’s going to be the most important aspect of Chicago’s success moving forward. If Fields bombs out, irrelevancy will again be the name of the game. If he were to succeed under Harbaugh, the Bears will be annual playoff contenders. It’s that simple.

Jim Harbaugh will bring great coaching staff with him to the Chicago Bears

Just look at the 49ers’ coaching staff under Harbaugh during his successful four-year run with the team. We’re talking about some of the best coordinators and position coaches in football.

• Offensive coordinator: Greg Roman
• Defensive coordinator: Vic Fangio
• Secondary: Ed Donatell 
• Defensive line: Jim Tomsula

There’s absolutely no reason to believe some of these coaches won’t follow Harbaugh to Chicago. Primarily, Fangio could be out of a job after three unsuccessful seasons as the Broncos’ head coach. In terms of his success as a defensive coordinator, Fangio led these Bears to two top-10 finishes in his final two seasons before taking over in Denver back in 2019. With the Broncos, this unit ranks No. 9 in 2021.

There’s also the possibility of bringing coaches from Michigan to Chicago. That includes respected offensive coordinator Josh Gattis as well as defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald — the latter of whom served under John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens for seven seasons before joining his brother in Ann Arbor.