National Championship Game Feels Like Jim Harbaugh’s Last at Michigan

Jim Harbaugh still hasn't signed a 10-year, $125 million contract to stay at Michigan. There's "mutual interest" between the coach and two NFL teams. Will the National Championship Game be Harbaugh's last leading the Wolverines?

Dustin Schutte | Jan 8, 2024

National Championship Game Feels Like Jim Harbaugh’s Last at Michigan /

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Michigan Wolverines

Somewhere in Ann Arbor, a 10-year, $125 million contract sits without a signature. A simple stroke of a pen would make Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in college football. Yet Harbaugh has shown a reluctance to put ink to parchment.

Curious, isn’t it? A “Michigan Man” who has enjoyed the best three-year run in his coaching career has refused to sign a lucrative contract extension that would essentially keep him at his alma mater for the remainder of his career.

For weeks, that contract has sat with white space above the signature line.

Harbaugh will lead No. 1 Michigan (14-0) onto the field to play No. 2 Washington (14-0) in the National Championship Game on Monday night.. It’s a chance to bring college football’s top prize back to Ann Arbor. What better way to go out?

When Harbaugh steps onto the field with the Wolverines on Monday, it feels like it will be the final time with the Maize and Blue. The evidence seems overwhelming.

Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reported that there’s “mutual interest” between Harbaugh and two NFL teams: the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders.

That Michigan mega-deal mentioned that Harbaugh has yet to sign? Somewhere in the lengthy document contains a clause that prohibits the coach from flirting with NFL teams for one year.

Go ahead, insert that scratchy chin emoji.

Speculation involving Harbaugh’s potential return to the NFL is nothing new. Every season, the Michigan coach is rumored to be a candidate for multiple vacancies at the professional level. This time, it feels different.

Harbaugh dealt with two separate three-game suspensions this season. One was a self-imposed punishment from Michigan, acknowledging recruiting violations dating back to the Covid-19 pandemic. That cost the coach the first three games of the 2023 season.

The Big Ten then slapped Harbaugh with a three-game suspension for the sign-stealing scandal involving Michigan staffers. He missed the Wolverines’ final three games of the regular season against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State.

The fun doesn’t end there. In late December, Michigan received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA regarding potential recruiting violations that occurred during the pandemic. At some point in the offseason, Harbaugh could face harsher punishments and a longer suspension.

Does the 60-year-old coach really want to continue dealing with that? Or is it time to return to the NFL, where he can run and hide from any consequences the NCAA levies.

Harbaugh has accomplished what he wanted at Michigan. He finally got over the hump against Ohio State after an 0-5 start in the rivalry. He’s led the program to three consecutive Big Ten championships and three College Football Playoff appearances.

On Monday night, Michigan will compete for its first national title in nearly three decades. What more is there for Harbaugh to accomplish in Ann Arbor?

When Harbaugh walks off the field at NRG Stadium in Houston — win or lose — he’s going to sign a contract. Don’t expect it to be the one that Michigan has offered him, but instead, one that will take him back to the NFL.

Harbaugh has helped Michigan re-establish itself as one of college football’s blueblood programs. His next move is to chase that coveted Super Bowl ring he came so close to grabbing a decade ago.

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