In his first public comments since his brother, John Harbaugh, was fired by the Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh gave a major, albeit potentially biased, endorsement of his brother.
"John Harbaugh's the best coach I know, the best coach I've ever seen,” Jim said, via ESPN. “I'm his brother, so I might be biased.”
Harbaugh acknowledged being surprised by Baltimore’s decision to move on from his brother, but he doesn’t expect John to be unemployed for long.
"He'll be a head coach next year," Jim said. "We'll be playing against him in some form or fashion."
That last statement isn’t just a brother being optimistic, it’s a fact. A plethora of teams have already expressed interest in Harbaugh as he immediately became the most accomplished and experienced candidate on the market.
Had John kept his job, he would have faced off against his brother next season, as the Ravens are set to host the Chargers in 2026. Now we’ll have to wait and see where John lands to find out if the brothers will have a matchup in the near future.
When it comes to his brother’s future, Jim didn’t provide a prediction, but he did share one wish.
"As I told him, whatever team he goes to is going to be formidable," Jim said. "Just hope it's in the NFC."
Jim and John became the first – and only – pair of brothers ever to coach against each other in the Super Bowl in 2013.