PFF Puts Jim Harbaugh in Its Top 10, Chargers Coach Again Rated Among NFL’s Best

The Los Angeles Chargers received another vote of confidence for their head-coaching leadership on Tuesday, with Pro Football Focus placing Jim Harbaugh among the NFL’s top 10 coaches entering the 2026 season. In PFF’s ranking compiled by Bradley Locker, Harbaugh checked in at No. 10, part of a broader evaluation that blends recent results with his overall head-coaching body of work.

The Chargers’ position is tied to what Harbaugh has already delivered since returning to the NFL. According to PFF’s framing as relayed by the team, Harbaugh has posted an overall 22-12 record with the Chargers, including reaching double-digit wins in each of his first two years back in the league. That success has also aligned with an expectation of sustained winning: PFF noted that Harbaugh has never finished below.500 in any of his six NFL head-coaching seasons.

PFF’s list does not treat the last year or two as the only proof point. Locker’s evaluation, as described in the Chargers’ release, incorporated Harbaugh’s full NFL head-coaching career winning percentage, which PFF reported at.679. That is a meaningful figure because head-coach rankings often separate reputations and style from the results organizations can reliably produce across different roster and matchup conditions.

Harbaugh’s Chargers tenure has also been positioned as proof that his brand of professional football coaching translates over time. PFF’s report emphasized what happens after the novelty wears off, highlighting that Harbaugh has a track record of finishing strong and keeping teams in the winning range rather than relying on one-off peaks. That emphasis helps explain why PFF was comfortable placing him in the top tier even though the final spot in any list tends to be the most contested.

The ranking arrives as the Chargers continue building toward the 2026 season with the head-coach standard in place. While Harbaugh’s name on PFF’s list is a credential, it also creates a practical benchmark for what should be expected from Los Angeles year to year, particularly in a league where organizations are judged by performance, not programming. For a team in the AFC, the coaching baseline matters because it shapes everything from in-game decision-making to the team’s ability to adjust as the roster and competition change.

What to watch next is whether the Chargers can turn this kind of coaching validation into another stretch of consistent production. PFF’s methodology matters here: it rewards both the recent record and the broader career profile. If Los Angeles repeats the level of regular-season success referenced in the ranking, the Harbaugh-to-elite tier conversation will likely continue. If it does not, this No. 10 placement could become a starting point for what the team needs to correct rather than a capstone of progress.