Bears fans watched with stars in their eyes as Jim Harbaugh hoisted the CFP National Championship trophy Monday night.
Speculation about Harbaugh returning to the NFL has been a recurring offseason storyline since he took the head coaching job at Michigan in 2015. This time, the question looms larger than ever. Defeating Washington 34-13 in the National Championship game with his alma mater, Harbaugh did what he set out to do at the University of Michigan. A storybook ending paired with the fact that he recently hired famed NFL agent Don Yee could signal the legendary coach is ready for a new chapter.
Ready for a new chapter, too, are Chicago Bears fans.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Yes, head coach Matt Eberflus righted the ship after an 0-4 start to finish the season with seven wins. That late-season "success" — if you're the type to consider a 7-6 record against a slew of mediocre quarterbacks "success" — might be good enough for the Bears' front office, but it's not good enough for the fans. Especially not after watching the Green Bay Packers earn a playoff berth in their 10th-straight win over the Bears on Sunday.
Bears fans are desperate for the organization to raise its standards. And on Monday, a man dripped in confetti wearing Cartier sunglasses on a stage in Houston was their sliver of hope.
These were some of the best pleas we saw on social media from fans to bring Harbaugh to Chicago:
Money does buy happiness... if you have enough.
Bears News
When Harbaugh finds out the Bears have the No. 1 pick, it's over for you clowns.
SPEAK IT INTO EXISTENCE!
Just say the word, and we'll start constructing the statue.
Throw us a frickin' bone, here.
Defensive pessimism is a coping mechanism.
And when Harbaugh crushes that dream, we'll dream about it some more.
Squint, and it's Jim.
Sometimes, you must let a higher power take the wheel.
The league is nowhere near ready for this type of juice.