January 4, 2024 – 4:51 PM EST
While Jim Harbaugh and his staff are preparing to face Washington’s high-powered offense in Monday’s College Football Playoff championship, pundits are speculating whether it will be his final game at Michigan.
His name is annually tied to various NFL coaching vacancies, but that speculation was heightened this season with Harbaugh being suspended from the Wolverines’ sideline on two separate occasions. It ratcheted up even further following reports that he has hired agent Don Yee.
Yee is well known for his NFL connections, most notably as the agent for Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
Michigan reportedly offered Harbaugh a 10-year, $125 million extension earlier this season that would make him the highest-paid coach in college football. It would also prevent him from entertaining an NFL job in 2024.
Harbaugh, 60, has yet to sign an extension with Michigan, which has stirred the pot further ahead of the title game.
There are currently three vacancies in the NFL, with the Los Angeles Chargers (Brandon Staley), Las Vegas Raiders (Josh McDaniels) and Carolina Panthers (Frank Reich) firing their coaches mid-season. Several more are expected to join them after Sunday’s conclusion to the regular season.
Among them is likely to be New England, where the Patriots and Bill Belichick are widely expected to part ways.
Harbaugh previously coached in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, compiling a 44-19-1 record from 2011-14.
SportsBetting.ag is offering -150 odds that Harbaugh returns to the NFL, compared to +100 that he remains at Michigan and +700 odds that he takes the year off from coaching.
Should he bolt for the pros, Harbaugh is already among the favorites to become either the Chargers’ next head coach or fill the legendary shoes Belichick has occupied in New England for the past 24 years.
What Belichick’s future holds is one of the biggest pending dramas in coaching circles. If the 71-year-old does leave New England, does he want to continue coaching? If he does, it would likely be with a franchise where he believes the roster is primed to compete in the short term.
–Field Level Media