Jimbo Fisher 'very interested' in returning to coaching

In his mind, Jimbo Fisher is on the most well-funded sabbatical of all-time, not permanent exile.

In an interview with Freddie Stevenson, his former player at Florida State, Fisher said he is open to returning to coaching in the right situation. 

"If the right situation comes along... I'm still 59, still in great shape, I'm healthy. I've had success everywhere we've ever been," Fisher said.

A national champion offensive coordinator at LSU, Fisher revived the Florida State program, to the point where the Seminoles were the top program in the sport from 2012-14. FSU went 39-3 with three straight ACC championships in those years, including a 2013 run to the national title that saw Jameis Winston win the Heisman Trophy while the team out-scored its opponents by 553 points across 13 games. His Texas A&M teams never lived up to the self-imposed national championship expectations, but the Aggies' 2020 outfit earned the program's highest year-end AP ranking (No. 4) since its 1939 national championship. 

Fisher is still owed $7.2 million annually through 2031 as part of a record $76 million contract, a figure that has come to define his career more than his two rings, his 128 head-coaching wins, and the numerous players he's put in the NFL. He would like to change that. 

"I still love it," Fisher said. "I never thought of it as a job. I loved it. I've won 72 percent of my games, won 80 percent of my (postseason) games, been fortunate to win a national championship as a head coach and an assistant. I miss the relationships with the players. To answer your question, I would be very interested in still doing it. I think I've still got a lot to give. I'd like to get back out there, I really would."

Now that Fisher is officially out there, it will be fascinating to see what type of jobs Fisher considers "the right situation," and what type of programs are interested in him. But it's a near guarantee that he'll be the most accomplished name on the market this winter.