Ladd McConkey walked out of his rookie season looking like he belonged, and honestly, he did more than just belong; he owned it. While his teammates cleared out their lockers, he stood last, and it just made sense. The kid broke records like he’s been in the league for years – 82 catches, over 1,100 yards, seven touchdowns. Then in the playoffs? He lit up the field with 197 yards and an 86-yard score that had fans on their feet. But here’s the thing – none of that hype ever went to his head. The very next day, McConkey wasn’t talking about stats or records. He was talking about the Los Angeles Chargers, the bigger picture, and what comes next. And that’s exactly why this guy’s future in Jim Harbaugh’s powder blue is something special.

Drafted at No. 34 overall, Ladd McConkey won his head coach’s heart after his stellar performance in his rookie year. But there’s more Jim Harbaugh expects from him. During Friday’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show, the HC revealed that he has “pretty high” expectations from the Georgia native.

Harbaugh said, “He’s shown that and proven that. But yeah, I mean, I think I know, but I mean, just with all the what’s the level of expectation or what’s going to happen, you kind of leave that up to the palm readers. But I know what Ladd had, and he developed an incredible rapport with Justin [Herbert] this past season. (We) had a tremendous season. I’m just excited for our team, pretty much every guy on it, you know, so it’s going to be pretty good. Well, I’m looking forward to being tough to beat.”

No doubt, Harbaugh loves McConkey, and he knows that whatever it is, the wide receiver will definitely exceed his expectations because he lives for his Chargers and coach. Well, that’s true! Because earlier, when the season ended for the Bolts, McConkey was the one who stood there last in the locker room. That time, the young player, who had recently married his longtime girlfriend, Sydney Horne, said, “I feel like I did some good things and I’m proud of that, the team, and the growth we made from the first game to the last game. But you go back and watch some games, and there’s so much more out there. Speaking for myself, I know I left a lot out there, especially early in the season.”

Hence, the WR wants “to come back next year and grow. It was good to go out and make plays for my team. But at the end of the day, we didn’t get the end goal finished….I feel like we’re right there and we’ll come back next year stronger than ever.” That’s how McConkey is approaching his upcoming second year in the league, and Jim Harbaugh is pretty confident about his kid. But before all of these, the head coach has a serious warning for him as well as the rest of the players on the team.

Jim Harbaugh shows his team a mirror

As Rich Eisen pointed out to Jim Harbaugh, “You’ve got….the toughest division in football”. The Chargers are in a division with the Chiefs on a revenge tour, the emerging force of the Broncos under Sean Payton, and the reloaded Raiders, with a point to prove under minority-owner Tom Brady‘s leadership. In addition, he has his brother John Harbaugh with perennial contender Lamar Jackson and his strong Ravens, apart from plenty of other teams across the NFL. So, yeah, things aren’t going to be easy for the head coach and his rookie if they want to make it to the franchise’s second-ever Super Bowl and win their first Lombardi. And the Chargers’ coach knows it very well.

That’s why, in the same episode, he said, “They’re all going to be better. They’re all going to be really good. It’s so competitive, with the players on the field, the coaches. It’s never been better. I mean, every single coach I look at on every single team is great at what they do. I’ll borrow the ‘Cheers’ line. I mean, it’s ‘doggy dog and feel like I’m wearing milk bone underwear.’….It’s true. It’s the best group of coaches that it could possibly be. So, yep. Waking up every day, attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”

No doubt, Jim Harbaugh knows the AFC West is no joke. Three playoff teams came out of that division last year, and with teams like the Raiders improving and familiar faces like Pete Carroll stepping in, it’s only getting tougher. Harbaugh gave props across the board – from the players grinding it out on the field to the coaches calling the plays. Every team’s loaded. Every sideline is sharp. Hence, Jim Harbaugh warned his team to be careful of the upcoming competition from those 31 teams, hoping that his Chargers come up trumps.