Jim Harbaugh is $1 million richer after the Los Angeles Chargers booked their place in the NFL playoffs.

The Chargers improved to 10-6 on the season on Saturday with a dominant 40-7 victory on the road at the New England Patriots, securing a wildcard berth in the postseason. The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hold an unassailable lead atop the AFC West, but playoff qualification is an impressive achievement for Harbaugh in his first year in charge of the Bolts.

Harbaugh inherited the team off the back of a 5-12 season last year that saw head coach Brandon Staley fired mid-season. The former Michigan and San Francisco 49ers head coach has made the Chargers a contender in an instant, harnessing the potential of star quarterback Justin Herbert and dramatically improving what was one of the league’s leakiest defenses.

The Chargers’ 40-7 blowout win secured their place in the postseason, and it also activated a clause in Harbaugh’s contract for a $1 million bonus, according to ESPN.

A delighted Harbaugh is excited for what awaits his team not only in the coming weeks but also the coming years after punching their ticket to the playoffs. He said: “You talk to [the players] and there’s more to do. There’s no coach who could have it better than to be coaching these players. Nobody. Maybe the only person would be future us, could have it better than us.”

Harbaugh has a remarkable track record of delivering near-instant success to teams at both the collegiate and professional levels. He started his coaching career with FCS program San Diego and back-to-back 11-1 seasons earned him a shot with Stanford in 2007.

Jim Harbaugh has Justin Herbert playing the best football of his career

Jim Harbaugh has Justin Herbert playing the best football of his career

He would turn the program’s fortunes around within the space of a couple of seasons, joining forces with star quarterback Andrew Luck to become one of the best teams in the nation.

A four-year stay with the 49ers followed in 2011, reaching the NFC championship game in three successive seasons – including a run to the Super Bowl in 2013 when he was beaten by brother John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens. His tenure ended with an 8-8 2014 season, and he would return to the college ranks to coach his alma mater, Michigan, in 2015.

Harbaugh quickly restored the Wolverines to championship contention and by the time he left earlier this year, he had won three consecutive Big Ten titles and the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

There is a sense history could be repeating itself with the Chargers. The 61-year-old has rapidly galvanized a talented roster and laid the foundations for future success – and few teams will relish the challenge of facing the Chargers in the playoffs in the coming weeks.