Getty Coach Jim Harbaugh, centerpiece of Michigan football rumors, hired NFL agent Don Yee this week.
It has been a delicate dance on the Michigan football rumor mill for Jim Harbaugh in the last few weeks—heck, it’s been quite a dance for the past year, really. But the question of whether Harbaugh will stay put with Michigan or bolt for the NFL remains very much an open one, and he took an eye-opening step just before the Wolverines are slated to play Alabama in the Rose Bowl: He hired prominent NFL agent Don Yee, who represents Tom Brady, Broncos coach Sean Payton, Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and others.
The news was reported by Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel of ESPN. Schefter tweeted early Sunday morning: “Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has hired football agent Don Yee to represent him, sources tell me and @PeteThamel. Amongst others, Yee represents Tom Brady and Sean Payton and has deep NFL ties.”
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has hired football agent Don Yee to represent him, sources tell me and @PeteThamel. Amongst others, Yee represents Tom Brady and Sean Payton and has deep NFL ties.
This is, of course, sure to re-ignite more Michigan football rumors. It marks an abrupt change for Harbaugh to make just ahead of the end of the end of the football calendar—both the NFL season and the collegiate season will end next Monday. NFL teams looking to make coaching changes generally hand out their pink slips on that day. With Don Yee now representing him, Harbaugh will be ready to engage pro teams should he decide to leave Michigan football behind.
Michigan Football Rumors: Chargers Leading the Field?
Harbaugh certainly appears to be leaning toward an exit from Michigan, the program he has led since 2015. He has been hounded by the NCAA and suspended twice for minor infractions this year. There have been reports of the Chargers already doing groundwork on Harbaugh, who has had one stint as a head coach in the NFL, with the 49ers from 2011-14. Harbaugh, whose brother, John, coaches the Ravens, went 44-19-1 in his four seasons with San Francisco.
That gives Jim Harbaugh just about as good a resume as any NFL coach who will come on the market this offseason. Several other factors have Harbaugh looking like the top candidate for the Chargers, who fired coach Brandon Staley two weeks ago. For one thing, he would get to work with talented young quarterback Justin Herbert. And for another, he played two seasons for the Chargers at the end of his career.
Harbaugh has also been mentioned in connection with the Raiders job opening, and potential openings in Washington and Chicago. The hiring of Don Yee is interesting because of the Tom Brady connection — Brady is close to becoming a part-owner of the Raiders.
There have been strong efforts to get Harbaugh to stick with Michigan football, though. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported last week: “Sources say Jim Harbaugh, whose current deal runs through 2026, received an offer from Michigan for a 10-year, $125-million contract extension that would make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. Yet there is a caveat, and it’s NFL-related.
“If he signed the deal — which he has not yet done — Harbaugh would agree not to entertain or accept an NFL job for the 2024 season.”
Jim Harbaugh Keeps Mum on Future
The hiring of Don Yee is the clearest thing that Harbaugh has said about the ongoing Michigan football rumors. That’s because he was decidedly evasive when asked about it during a Rose Bowl press conference this week.
Video: @chengelis asking Jim Harbaugh about NFL rumors and me asking about #Chargers
“Such a one-track mind,” Harbaugh said when asked about his future, via Joe Reedy of the Associated Press. “That’s the way we’ve gone about things. It’s literally whatever day we’re in, looking to get the most out of it. Dominate the day. Then we’ll go to sleep tonight, and wake up tomorrow and see if we can’t dominate that day. It’s a single-minded group. It’s very focused on just taking care of business today and see if we can’t do the same tomorrow.
“It’s just a very one-track mind about this game. Right now, it’s just, have fun with the family and the team and the players. We’re at the happiest place on Earth. We’re going to enjoy ourselves and then get back to business. See if we can’t dominate the day.”