Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh was rumored to be considering a leap back into the NFL last offseason. And after his second consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff resulted in a heartbreaking semifinal loss to the TCU Horned Frogs over the weekend, the rumors were beginning to fly once again. But when asked about his future on Wednesday, Harbaugh said he would likely be back in Ann Arbor next season.
“Although no one knows the future, I think I will be coaching Michigan next year,” Harbaugh told Queen City News.
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Jim Harbaugh NFL Rumors Swirl Following CFP Loss
Earlier in the week, Will Kunkel of Charlotte Sports Live reported that Harbaugh spoke with Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper about their head coaching vacancy, and the Denver Broncos are believed to be interested as well. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, the Broncos have already reached out to Harbaugh about the possibility of him coming to Russell Wilson next season.
“I think it is a done deal if he gets an offer,” one source close to Harbaugh said when asked by The Athletic if the coach would leap at the chance to go back to the NFL.
Harbaugh is 74-25 in eight seasons at Michigan, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. After falling to 0-5 against the Ohio State Buckeyes with no Big Ten championships or CFP appearances, Michigan fans were calling for Harbaugh to be let go following the 2020 season. But he restructured his contract and stayed aboard, and Harbaugh has now built the program into playoff competitor in the past two years. The Minnesota Vikings interviewed Harbaugh for their opening last season, but ultimately the deal fell apart.
“One of the things that was really kind of driving me is, you know, we were in San Francisco (with the 49ers), we got that close to winning the Super Bowl. That’s always been a thing. There’s unfinished business there. But, hey, winning the national championship, I could be really happy with that too. So that’s the goal. That’s the one we’re chasing,” Harbaugh said at the time.
Given his honest wishes to get another crack at a Super Bowl, one might wonder if Harbaugh would be hard-pressed to say no to an NFL offer during this cycle or at any other point in the future. There will likely be a lot of rumors surrounding Harbaugh in the coming weeks.
