Jim Harbaugh earns a mouth-watering bonus for leading the Chargers to playoffs with blowout 40-7 win over Patriots
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh bagged a $1 million bonus after their 10th win of the season by beating the Patriots.
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Jim Harbaugh (Image via IMAGO)
Jim Harbaugh accomplished his goal of leading the Los Angeles Chargers to the playoffs after a sensational 40-7 win over the New England Patriots on Saturday night. It triggered a clause in his contract that earned him a hefty bonus on top of his regular salary.
Only a couple of spots were open in the AFC playoff scenario after teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens already secured qualification. Several teams including the Chargers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers all eyed the last remaining spots for the wild card.
The Chargers’ victory against the NFC minnows, the Patriots, in week 17 improved their season record to 10-6 and secured a wild card spot. This would be the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2020, and they will fight for a first win in the postseason since 2018.
By clinching a wild-card spot today, Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh collects a $1 million playoff bonus in his contract. pic.twitter.com/28XCURQYWp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 28, 2024
Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach early in the year with the vision to make the Chargers Super Bowl contenders. The team is far from a finished product but qualifying for the playoffs is the first step to making that dream a reality and it further earned Harbaugh a $1 million dollar bonus to take home with him.
Jim Harbaugh makes history by leading the Chargers into the playoffs
The Chargers have been a struggling side, with disappointing finishes in the last few seasons prior to Harbaugh taking over as head coach. In 2023, they finished with only five wins all season, so the team required a complete overhaul and a leader who could set up a winning culture.
Harbaugh brought a fresh winning perspective, continuing from his time with Michigan in college, where he won the CFP title. According to Josh Dubow of AP, at Chargers he became the first coach in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to lead multiple teams to the playoffs with losing records in their previous year. Previously, he played post-season football with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, a year after they finished 6-11.
Jim Harbaugh is 1st coach in the Super Bowl era to take over 2 teams that had losing records the year before he arrived and take them to the playoffs in his 1st season (also did it with #49ers in 2011)
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) December 28, 2024
Quarterback Justin Herbert reached a personal milestone. He broke Peyton Manning’s passing yards record after the first five years of his NFL career by throwing 29 completions from 38 for 281 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Patriots. During the post-game presser, Herbert thanked Harbaugh for turning the locker room around.
He’s been everything. Those guys in the locker room respect him so much, and they just wanna make right by him and make him proud. You know, the way he cares about this team and all the individuals as well, he is a competitor, and he wants to win no matter what it is. It definitely shows the way everyone fights for him and wants to play for him and respect him.
Justin Herbert said about Jim Harbaugh.
we 🫶 jim pic.twitter.com/4xuEKWkivT
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 28, 2024
The Chargers still have a trip to Vegas left before the playoffs. They are early favorites to win the final game and end the season with 11-6 record, their highest-ever finish since 2018 when they went 12-5.
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Ishan Misra
(2958 Articles Published)