Report: Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh "Might Be Tempted" To Return To The NFL

The Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears have been named as potential landing spots for Harbaugh.

According to a report from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh “might be tempted” to return to the NFL this offseason, specifically with the Las Vegas Raiders or Chicago Bears.

Sources from both from the NFL side, and at Michigan, tell The Athletic that Jim Harbaugh might be tempted to leave the Wolverines to return to the NFL: https://t.co/BvGNjBZmdv

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 4, 2022

“The Raiders head coaching job might be tough for him to say no to given his ties to the organization – he started his coaching career there – and the fact that there’s already a solid quarterback in place in Derek Carr,” Feldman said. “He’s also friends with Raiders owner Mark Davis.

“It is worth noting that the Raiders are on a three-game winning streak under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and could become a playoff team if they beat the Chargers on Sunday. Whether Davis is looking to find a new head coach is yet to be determined.

“The Bears might be another option.”

The Wolverines went 12-2 this season, beat Ohio State for the first time in Harbaugh’s seven-year tenure in Ann Arbor. They also won the Big Ten Championships Game and reached the College Football Playoff, where they lost to Georgia, 34-11.

The 58-year-old Harbaugh notably took a sizable pay cut to remain at his alma mater this season, as Michigan went just 2-4 in 2020. He recouped much of those earnings due to performance bonuses in his contract – which runs through the 2025 season – though he’s since announced it would all go toward university employees whose pay was cut amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Still, Harbaugh is one of the lowest-paid coaches in the Big Ten at roughly $4 million per year and his stock hasn’t been higher than it is right now. The Wolverines will have to significantly bump up his salary to avoid losing him to Las Vegas or Chicago in the coming months.

As Feldman mentioned, Harbaugh has ties to both franchises, as he served as the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach in 2002-03 and was drafted by the Bears and played eight years with the franchise from 1987-1993.

Chicago still has its head coach in Matt Nagy, but his future is in serious doubt in the midst of a 6-10 season. His firing could open up the door for Harbaugh to return to the NFL, where he went 44-19-1 and reached the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers.

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