Chicago Bears: 7 Possible replacements for John Fox

7. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines (CFB), Head Coach

Jim Harbaugh will be the most sought-after coaching candidate this offseason. He took the San Francisco 49ers to three straight playoff appearances, getting to the Super Bowl once.

Harbaugh wins wherever he goes. He played a part in the Raiders run to the Super Bowl. He turned the Stanford and Michigan programs around. The Niners struggled offensively (ranking 24th in points) in 2010 before Harbaugh came to town. They owned a 6-10 record. In 2011, with Harbaugh, they went up to 11th in points scored and made the playoffs. The next two seasons, they made it to the NFC Championship game, making it to the Super Bowl in the 2012 season.

Harbaugh decided to go back to where he played after leaving (pushed out of) San Francisco. He may decide to go back to where he started his NFL playing career. He is the favorite of many fans. This fan base would explode with glee if Harbaugh returns to Chicago. He is a tough coach who demands excellence from his players. If you want Trubisky to get tough and play through anything, Harbaugh is the guy.

If Harbaugh comes to Chicago, the chances defensive coordinator Vic Fangio stays goes way up. He and Harbaugh worked well together in San Francisco and there’s no reason to think they couldn’t do the same in Chicago. Some may want Fangio as the next Bears head coach, but I don’t see him as a head coach. His strength is being the man in charge of a defense. Besides, what the Bears need now is an offensive-minded coach.

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This is only Harbaugh’s second season as head coach of Michigan, but he seems unhappy. He finds himself complaining about this or that (he hates Purdue’s visitor locker room). With all the constraints in the college game, he might decide to just want to go back to the NFL. Many teams, the Bears included, will have their facilities open for him.