Vikings discuss job with Harbaugh
Michigan coach was with 49ers when he worked with new GM
Jim Harbaugh has taken a step toward a potential return to the NFL.
Harbaugh and the Minnesota Vikings had an exploratory conversation about the team’s head coaching vacancy Saturday, a person with knowledge of the process told The Associated Press.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team was not publicizing the interview, said both sides were gauging interest. The Vikings made the formal request earlier this week to speak with him.
A message seeking comment was left with Harbaugh, whose seventh season at Michigan ended last month with a loss to Georgia in the College Football Playoff.
The Vikings hired former Cleveland Browns vice president of football operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as general manager this week, and they’re still searching for a coach.
The 58-year-old Harbaugh could be a good fit with Adofo-Mensah, who is a first-time GM at age 40. Adofo-Mensah started working in the research and development department with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013, when Harbaugh was in his third of four seasons coaching the team.
The former NFL quarterback was 44-19-1 as San Francisco’s coach from 2011-14 and 5-3 in the playoffs.
49ers
San Francisco’s All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams is questionable for the NFC championship after missing practice all week with a sprained ankle. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday the decision on whether he would play against the Rams won’t be made until Sunday. Williams was in a similar situation three weeks ago with an elbow injury and was scratched on game day.
Ravens
Baltimore hired Mike Macdonald as their defensive coordinator, bringing him back from the college ranks after a season at Michigan. The 34-year-old Macdonald was Michigan’s defensive coordinator last season, when the Wolverines won the Big Ten Conference and reached the College Football Playoff. Prior to that, he spent seven seasons with the Ravens as a coach. He replaces longtime Baltimore defensive coordinator Don Martindale.
Elsewhere
NFL cornerback Damon Arnette was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of weapons and drug offenses, prompting him to be released by his latest team, the Kansas City Chiefs. Arnette, 25, was booked Saturday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon, according to jail records. Police Lt. Justin Byers said the arrests of Arnette and another man stemmed from a report of a person with a gun at 5:45 p.m. Friday at a Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The Chiefs had signed Arnette to a reserve/ future contract Jan. 20. Arnette was released by the Las Vegas Raiders in November after a social media video appeared to show the 2020 firstround pick threatening someone’s life while brandishing guns.