Chargers expected to interview Harbaugh for a second time
The team says it has spoken to NFL chief officer Aponte about its open GM position.
The Chargers are expected to meet with Jim Harbaugh a second time regarding their head coaching position, according to someone familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
The Michigan coach is one of 15 candidates identified during the team’s first round of interviews.
The Chargers announced Monday that they interviewed Dawn Aponte, their ninth candidate for general manager.
The Chargers are seeking replacements for Brandon Staley, fired as head coach, and Tom Telesco, fired as general manager. Telesco is in the running to be Las Vegas’ next general manager, according to reports.
Harbaugh, 60, won a national title this month with the Wolverines. He has spent nine years at Michigan, his alma mater and the place where he first rose to prominence as a quarterback.
Before that — from 2011 to 2014 — Harbaugh led the San Francisco 49ers to a 44-19-1 record and three consecutive NFC championship games. His 49ers reached one Super Bowl — after the 2012 season — losing to a Baltimore team coached by Harbaugh’s brother, John.
In all, the Chargers will have met with six candidates who are former fulltime NFL head coaches: Harbaugh, Raheem Morris, Steve Wilks, Leslie Frazier, Mike Vrabel and Dan Quinn.
They’ve interviewed two others who were college head coaches in Todd Monken and David Shaw.
None of the others has full-time head coaching experience: Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Giff Smith, Kellen Moore, Patrick Graham, Mike Macdonald and Brian Callahan. Smith finished the season as the Chargers’ interim head coach.
Aponte, the NFL’s chief football administrative officer, has more than three decades of experience working in the league.
The last team to employ her were the Miami Dolphins. She spent seven years there, reaching the level of executive vice president of football administration.
Before that, Aponte was a vice president with the Cleveland Browns. She began her career in football with the New York Jets, with whom she spent more than 15 years in various capacities.
Among those interviewed to replace Telesco, four are NFL assistant general managers: JoJo Wooden (Chargers), Brandon Brown (New York Giants), Ian Cunningham (Chicago Bears) and Ed Dodds (Indianapolis Colts). Wooden added the title of interim general manager after Telesco was dismissed.
The other four have player personnel titles: Joe Hortiz (Baltimore Ravens), Terrance Gray (Buffalo Bills), Jeff Ireland (New Orleans Saints) and Jeff King (Chicago).