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Rumors continue to swirl about Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh’s future. The Wolverines head coach has once again been linked to NFL head coaching jobs.
ESPN Baton Rouge’s Matt Moscona reports that LSU head coach Brian Kelly has an interest in becoming the next Michigan head coach. Harbaugh would need to vacate his current role, potentially for the NFL. Kelly clearly needs Harbaugh’s exit to have a chance at landing the Wolverines gig.
“If Jim Harbaugh goes back to the NFL and the scuttle is the Chargers. If Harbaugh goes and coaches the Chargers and Michigan is open, if Michigan pursues Brian Kelly. He would leave LSU for Michigan,” Moscona detailed in a video posted to social media on December 23, 2023. “I am confident in saying that.
“…If Brian Kelly left LSU before December 31st of this year he would owe LSU $3 million. Any point after that, it’s $2 million,” Moscona continued. “So basically, if Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan for the NFL and Michigan says, ‘We want to hire Brian Kelly.’ Brian Kelly could get out of his LSU contract for $2 million bucks. And if Michigan offered him the job, he would take it.”
Kelly left Notre Dame to sign a 10-year, $95 million contract with LSU in 2022. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports Harbaugh is considering signing a 10-year, $125 million contract extension with Michigan.
Michigan Football Rumors: Jim Harbaugh Has Been Linked to an NFL Return With the Chargers
Even if Harbaugh left Michigan, the Wolverines would also need to have an interest in Kelly for a move to happen. The most obvious potential NFL landing spot for Harbaugh is the Los Angeles Chargers given the team already fired Brandon Staley. There are sure to be additional NFL openings once Black Monday arrives following the regular season.
As for the Chargers’ interest level in Harbaugh, there are conflicting reports. Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reports the Chargers have an interest in prying Harbaugh away from Ann Arbor.
“The Chargers have interest in Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh, per sources,” Schultz tweeted on December 20. “It’s unclear if the feeling is mutual, as Harbaugh gets set to coach the Wolverines in their third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.”
Accoring to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there is skepticism around the NFL that the Chargers will meet Harbaugh’s demands. The move would return Harbaugh back to the state of California.
“Let’s start with Harbaugh: He has ties to the Spanos family and likely would have interest in this coveted job,” Fowler wrote in a December 20 article titled, “NFL Week 16 latest buzz, upset picks, early offseason intel.” “And he would be a local draw for a team that needs it. But some around the league are skeptical that the Chargers would relinquish power and/or meet the financial demands for a candidate such as Harbaugh.”
Michigan Football: Jim Harbaugh Is Considering a 10-Year, $125 Million Contract Extension
It would not be the first time Harbaugh flirted with the NFL but returned to Ann Arbor. Michigan’s new contract offer would prevent Harbaugh from considering NFL jobs for 2024.
“Sources say 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,” Rapoport detailed on December 24. “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. The NFL clause would be one season only, but that’s apparently been enough to drag out the process.”
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