On the heels of the Michigan Wolverines securing the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, the school is reportedly negotiating a contract extension with head coach Jim Harbaugh.
According to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, the extension would pay Harbaugh over $11 million per year, but sources said the deal is “not imminent and there is work to be done.”
Harbaugh, who is in the midst of his ninth season as the head coach at his alma mater, has led the Wolverines to three consecutive Big Ten titles and CFP berths.
With a record of 87-25 at Michigan, Harbaugh is widely regarded as one of the top head coaches in college football, but there are extenuating circumstances that have led to speculation about whether he may leave the college ranks for the NFL.
Harbaugh was suspended for the first three games of the 2023 season due to alleged violations during the COVID-19 dead period.
The Big Ten later suspended him for the final three games of the regular season as well due to an illegal off-campus scouting and sign-stealing operation allegedly run by a former Michigan staffer.
Last month, Connor Stalions resigned from his position at Michigan amid an investigation into Stalions allegedly purchasing tickets to game involving future Michigan opponents and recording the sidelines in order to decode signals.
It was later reported by Ross Dellenger and Wetzel of Yahoo Sports that a Michigan booster helped fund that alleged scheme, and that linebackers coach Chris Partridge attempted to destroy evidence involved with it, leading to his firing.
Michigan has denied that Harbaugh had any knowledge of or involvement with the sign-stealing operation, and it initially fought the Big Ten’s suspension before ultimately accepting it.
Harbaugh returned to the sidelines for the Big Ten Championship Game between Michigan and Iowa, which the Wolverines won 26-0 to clinch a CFP spot.
Due to the possibility that Harbaugh and the Michigan football program could be further disciplined by the NCAA in the future, there has been some thought that Harbaugh may consider returning to the NFL.
Harbaugh’s first stint as an NFL head coach with the San Francisco 49ers ran from 2011 to 2014 and was an enormous success. Harbaugh posted a 44-19-1 record and led the Niners to three NFC Championship Game appearances and one Super Bowl berth.
Last week, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Fox Sports (h/t Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports) that the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers were both monitoring Harbaugh’s situation.
There aren’t yet any certainties regarding Harbaugh’s coaching future, but based on Wetzel’s report, he seems to have at least some interest in sticking around at Michigan.
