Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is once again fielding interest from NFL teams, pursuing an opportunity to make an NFL return to address unfinished business at the highest level. With the University of Michigan desperate to keep him, Harbaugh is trying to take full advantage.
The Wolverines have extended Harbaugh’s contract twice in the last two years, each time coming after he interviewed for an NFL team’s head-coaching vacancy. Many around the league firmly believe Harbaugh would make the jump to the NFL in 2024, especially after winning a national championship.
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However, the 60-year-old head coach is providing his alma mater with an opportunity to keep him. Although, it will come at an unprecedented cost with stipulations. A day after he interviewed for the Los Angeles Chargers‘ vacancy, new details have emerged on the terms Harbaugh is setting for a new deal.
According to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, the holdup in contract negotiations between Harbaugh and Michigan centers on protections he wants in the contract. Amid an ongoing NCAA investigation into sign stealing, Harbaugh is seeking contract language that grants him immunity from termination based on any finding or actions that would come from the multiple NCAA investigations into the football program.
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While it’s not the only stipulation regarding his future that Harbaugh wants, it appears to be the biggest point of contention in a deal. The Wolverines’ coach was already suspended twice during the 2023 season and discipline from the NCAA” findings could be more severe.
After serving a school-issued suspension and a three-game ban from the Big Ten, Harbaugh wants more protection from any future discipline both for the current NCAA investigation and any future Level I or Level II violations. In the event there was a “for cause” termination, he’s also based that a three-member arbitration panel determines his fate instead of Michigan’s athletic director Warde Manuel.
While Harbaugh can’t obtain protection from a suspension, he is using what leverage he has to ensure he dictates his future at Michigan. In the process, he’s also secured one of the largest financial commitments in NCAA history.
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Jim Harbaugh contract details
According to Wetzel, the proposed deal between Michigan and Harbaugh would be a six-year extension. As part of the agreement, Harbaugh would receive $11.5 million per year and become the highest-paid coach ever in college sports.
Furthermore, per Wetzel, the Wolverines’ coach is seeking other alterations to his next contract. Harbaugh reportedly wants a delay in the start day of his new. deal, allowing him to maintain a lower buyout in the event he wants to make an NFL return.
- Jim Harbaugh buyout: $1.5 million
Harbaugh’s buyout for NFL teams dropped from $2.25 million to $1.5 million on January 11. Michigan is attempting to raise that figure to approximately $4 million. In response, Harbaugh wants that to go into effect on Feb. 15, when the NFL coaching carousel will likely be over.
The good news for the Wolverines’ football program is that the financial details of the pact are “either fully or mostly” complete, it’s just the termination language that is holding up a potential deal.
