Even though Jim Harbaugh hasn’t been an NFL coach in almost ten years, he’s still a highly fascinating candidate for head coach in the next cycle of hiring.
The current Michigan coach is considering a very important choice as he gets his squad ready for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day versus Alabama.
According to sources, Michigan made Harbaugh an offer for a 10-year, $125 million contract extension that would put him among the highest-paid college football coaches. His current contract expires in 2026. But there’s a catch, and it has to do with the NFL.
Though he hasn’t signed the contract yet, Harbaugh would commit to not considering or taking an NFL position for the 2024 campaign. Although the NFL rule only allowed for one season, it seems that this has been enough to cause the process to drag on.
In announcing last year that he would be back in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh tweaked, well, everyone.
“People that think we’ve done a good job and are pleased with the job that we’ve done here at Michigan, they’re going to be very happy to learn that we will be back enthusiastically coaching the Wolverines in 2023,” Harbaugh said in December 2022. “And for those people that don’t approve of the job we’ve done or would rather see somebody else coaching here, I think they’ll be most likely disappointed to learn we’ll be back coaching the Wolverines and in 2023.”
When asked this season about his future, he has always pledged loyalty to his current job. But it’s likely at least one NFL team is interested.
Recently, Michigan received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA for alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period and not cooperating with investigators. NFL sources have said the league likely won’t be a safe harbor for Harbaugh, opening the door to Harbaugh, who also served a team-imposed three-game suspension this season, needing to serve some or all of any possible suspension he could face in college if he returns to the pros.
