Jim Harbaugh’s Son Has a Key Role in Seahawks vs. Patriots Super Bowl

The Los Angeles Chargers have some really interesting ties to names in Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

One of the most overlooked names? Jay Harbaugh.

One would think, given the last name, that Jay wouldn’t be that overlooked. He’s Jim Harbaugh’s son, after all.

Alas, here we are, with Jim and the Chargers watching from home while a Harbaugh indeed makes a push for a Lombardi Trophy. He happens to oversee one of the most critical units that keyed the Seahawks’ push, too.

So why is Jay Harbaugh with the Seahawks and not the Chargers?

Jay Harbaugh explains choosing Seahawks over Chargers

As it turns out, Jay Harbaugh was like plenty of normal people: He just wanted to branch out.

Speaking with the media during Super Bowl week, Jay faced the expected questions about his family ties.

“I’d been really blessed to be with my dad for a long time,” Jay told Forbes’ Jeff Fedotin. “So to branch out on my own a little bit was something that was kind of appealing.”

Simple enough, right? Jay, 36, spent nearly a decade coaching alongside his father at Michigan. When that program blew up (not literally, but close), Jay left and has since been the special teams coordinator in Seattle for the last two seasons.

Mike Macdonald on Jay Harbaugh: Underrated hero behind this whole operation. He originally interviewed me in Baltimore in 2014. This guy can coach football. Very easy decision to beg him to come to Seattle. Talk about chasing edges - that’s how he operates all the time #Seahawks
— Aaron Levine (@AaronLevine_) February 5, 2026

There, he’s overseen an elite unit led by All-Pro returner Rashid Shaheed, the lone player this year with a kickoff return touchdown and a punt return touchdown.

Jay was more than familiar with Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, of course. They worked together with the Baltimore Ravens under a guy named John Harbaugh, after all. Written another way, he worked with Macdonald under his uncle.

As of late, Jim Harbaugh's big coaching concerns with the Chargers have focused on overhauling his own coordinators. He fired Greg Roman and lured in Mike McDaniel for Justin Herbert's offense. Jesse Minter left for Baltimore, as expected, so he brought back Chris O'Leary from the college ranks. No change for special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, as of this writing.

But Sunday? Jim will likely be all eyes on the Seahawks and Jay.

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