Are We Nearing Make or Break Time For Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh?

The question on the show this week was simple. Whose clock is closer to running out in Los Angeles, Justin Herbert's or Jim Harbaugh's?

The answer, from the room, was Harbaugh's.

"Jim Harbaugh is one of the highest paid coaches in the league," the analysis went. "You didn't shell out top money for Jim Harbaugh to come in and not have a playoff win for three years in a row."

The case rests on what Harbaugh did the last time he had this job. In San Francisco, he took over and immediately walked the 49ers to the playoffs in Year One. He then made three consecutive NFC Championship Games. Whatever Harbaugh's standard is, it is not what the Chargers have delivered to date.

The room was careful to point out that this is not a comment on Harbaugh's coaching ability. The Chargers have been beaten up by injuries. They will likely be healthier this year. The roster has been retooled. The expectation is that this is a good football team in 2026.

The problem is the division.

The Denver Broncos were in the AFC Championship Game last season. If Bo Nix had not gotten hurt, they could plausibly have made the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs, despite a down year by their standards, are not built like the kind of team that stays down. Patrick Mahomes will not play to his ceiling at less than full health, but he will not play at his floor either. The Chiefs invested significantly in Kenneth Walker III. They turned over the back end of their defense. Eric Bieniemy is back in the building, a move players have spoken about in real terms.

That leaves the Chargers in a familiar slot. If they are healthy, the odds put them in the conversation with Denver and Kansas City. The conversation is not first place. It might not even be second.

"If they don't win a playoff game, if they don't advance, there's going to be a lot of disappointed people," the analysis concluded. The reason is specific. The Chargers made the biggest swing in franchise history to land Harbaugh. They became the biggest story in football for a stretch. The cumulative result, three straight playoff exits with no wins, is not a result Harbaugh himself would call a success.

Justin Herbert has time. Harbaugh does not have nearly as much.