Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is being heavily floated in NFL coaching rumors for the third consecutive year. If an NFL franchise wants to pull him away from college, however, it will reportedly cost that team a fortune.
Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in football at any level. He’s reached the College Football Playoff multiple times, the Super Bowl once and delivered double-digit win seasons with Stanford, Michigan and the San Francisco 49ers. Now, he’s once again one of the most coveted coaches in football.
- Jim Harbaugh NFL coaching record: 44-19-1 in regular season, 5-3 in playoffs
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Michigan was moving towards a contract extension with Harbaugh before the sign-stealing scandal broke. Now, as the Wolverines prepare for the CFP Semifinal, there’s increasing speculation that Harbaugh could make an NFL return in 2024. However, hiring Michigan’s coach will reportedly carry a huge price tag.
According to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, Harbaugh’s contract demands are expected to exceed $15 million per season, which would immediately make him one of the highest-paid coaches in pro sports.
The salary demands aren’t necessarily surprising. While previous reporting on Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s contract asking price ($15-plus million) was proven inaccurate, it does set a benchmark for what high-end coaching candidates could seek.
While the NFL keeps many of its head-coaching salaries under wraps, the top coaches make between $15-20 million per season. Unlike other head-coaching candidates, Harbaugh can already point to his track record of success at the highest level.
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The reported $15-plus million price could push a team like the Los Angeles Chargers out of the mix, although, the Spanos family has indicated it’s willing to spend. As for the Carolina Panthers, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Saturday that team owner David Tepper is expected to look in another direction.
That still leaves the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and Washington Commanders as a few of the NFL teams that could be competing for Harbaugh this spring.
