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It was a bit of good news earlier this month for Michigan football when it appeared that head coach Jim Harbaugh was on the verge of signing a lucrative new contract worth $55 million over five years, according to Richard Johnson of Sports Illustrated. One of the key stipulations in the deal, according to Johnson, was that Harbaugh agree to not seek NFL employment for the length of the contract.
As Johnson wrote on Twitter/X, “SOURCE: Michigan is working on a contract extension for Jim Harbaugh worth $11M per year/5 years. The main hurdle remaining is a commitment in writing from Harbaugh that he will not pursue an NFL job this cycle.”
But there has been little new to report on a Harbaugh deal since. And as Jason LaCanfora of the Washington Post reports (citing an anonymous GM), the NFL prohibition might be part of the problem.
“Despite all the hoopla recently about Jim Harbaugh being on the verge of another new deal with the University of Michigan, people in the NFL aren’t really buying an end to his NFL thoughts,” LaCanfora reported. “‘He wants back in the NFL, bad,’ the GM said. This probably ends up with him back in Ann Arbor, but don’t discount those NFL desires.”
Michigan Football Has Reason for Concern
Harbaugh, of course, has deep roots in both the pro and college games, which is one of the primary reasons his name is consistently brought up in connection with NFL jobs, and why Michigan football backers are concerned.
After starring as a quarterback for the Wolverines in the 1980s, Harbaugh had a successful NFL career that saw him spend 13 seasons in the league, beginning with the Bears in 1987. Harbaugh also played for the Colts, where he went to the Pro Bowl in 1995, and finished his career with the Ravens and Chargers. He started 140 of the 177 games he played.
As a coach, Harbaugh worked his way up the coaching ranks as an assistant with Western Kentucky, then on to the NFL for two seasons with the Raiders. He got his first head coaching job with the University of San Diego in 2004 and parlayed his success there into the job that made his reputation, Stanford, where he was coach from 2007-10.
From there, Harbaugh went back to the NFL, coaching the 49ers for four seasons and an impressive 44-19-1 record. But the team let him go in a controversial move in late 2014, setting up his return to the college game as Michigan football coach.
Plenty of NFL Jobs for Jim Harbaugh
The back-and-forth between the NFL and college obviously makes the Wolverines’ higher-ups nervous, and the school wants some assurance that Harbaugh won’t be drawn to the pro ranks. That’s especially relevant after the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal this year that led to Harbaugh’s three-game suspension.
Also making the Michigan football decision-makers nervous: the number of jobs that could be open in the NFL when the season ends.
Already, there are three teams who have fired coaches and have openings for 2024: the Raiders, the Chargers and the Panthers.
There could be some plum jobs opening, too, like draft-pick-rich Bears and the very talented Bills. The Patriots are almost certain to be looking for a coach and other jobs could be open in Washington, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, New Orleans and Atlanta. Who know, either New York team could be primed for a move, too.
The NFL, then, is a pretty big lure. Perhaps that explains the Jim Harbaugh hesitation.
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