As the Michigan Wolverines prepare to take on the Washington Huskies in the College Football National Championship , one of the biggest storylines is head coach Jim Harbaugh and his future. Speculation continues he will make a jump back to the NFL.
Harbaugh has an NFL history having served as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014. During his time in Santa Clara, he took the 49ers to three straight NFC Championship games and Super Bowl XLVII — which he lost to his older brother John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens.
Now, Michigan insider Aaron McCann of the Ann Arbor News and the Wolverine Confidential podcast says Harbaugh wants to return to the NFL and that it’s always been the coach’s goal.
“I think Jim Harbaugh wants to get back to the NFL,” McCann told Sportsnaut. “He’s said as much a couple of years ago when he said there’s still kind of a goal of his to get back and win a Super Bowl.”
Harbaugh’s stated goal of returning to the NFL and winning a Super Bowl has always been something he’s talked about openly. The other was returning his alma mater, Michigan, to national prominence. In nine years as the coach of the Wolverines, Harbaugh has an 85-25 record, three Big Ten titles, and now has his team on the cusp of possibly winning Michigan’s 12th national title.
The one thing that will convince Jim Harbaugh to go back to the NFL
What one event could make Harbaugh jump to the NFL now? Would it be winning a national title on Monday night?
“I think for him, it really comes down to getting an offer,” McCann said. “I think a franchise that he respects and he looks at as views as a good situation, I think he leaves. I think there’s a good chance he leaves after the season, regardless of what happens Monday night.”
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But there are other reasons Harbaugh might be quick to pull the trigger if he gets an NFL offer he likes. One is the continued controversy around the ongoing investigation into improprieties around the Wolverine football program, and the other has to do with the state of the roster.
“I think now it’d be the best time and I certainly think the investigation certainly plays a factor, absolutely,” McCann said. “So if you’re him and you’re looking at the situation as a whole and the potential for your roster, you know most of your roster leaving the NFL after this season, I got to think for him what better time than now to leave giving everything that’s going on with the investigations.”
Rumors about a return to the NFL for Harbaugh have been swirling for weeks, with recent news he hired agent Don Yee, who has deep connections around the NFL, including with Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, for whom he secured a return to the NFL last year.
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The most frequently named teams to be interested in Harbaugh include the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers, who fired coaches midseason and currently have interim head coaches. Harbaugh’s first coaching job was with Al Davis and the Raiders and he played for the then San Diego Chargers toward the end of his playing career.
“I think if there was ever a time for Jim Harbaugh to go, it’s probably now,” McCann said. “He knows what it takes to win at that level. I see a lot of connections there. And really, honestly, you know, he’s not getting any younger either. He just turned 60 years old last week, so I think, in a way, the clock is ticking there.”