Former Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh reportedly a top candidate for the Denver Broncos opening

Despite him saying he "expects" to be at Michigan next season Jim Harbaugh appears to be eyeing a move

After denying rumors of being connected to NFL jobs and even going as far to say “I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023" Jim Harbaugh has not so surprisingly surfaced as a top candidate for an NFL opening. 

Harbaugh reportedly concluded his virtual interview with the Denver Broncos and has now emerged as “a top candidate” for their head-coaching vacancy, according to reports. A meeting that went so well that according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, he spoke with the Broncos’ ownership group for more than two hours. 

Harbaugh’s courtship of NFL jobs marks the second straight year he has interviewed for an NFL head-coaching vacancy, after he flew to Minneapolis last February to interview in-person with the Vikings. He wasn't offered the gig, and obviously returned to Michigan.

The former Stanford head coach that really laid the ground work for David Shaw's success on the farm, left Stanford to coach the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, compiling a 44-19-1 record while leading them to three straight NFC championship games and a Super Bowl appearance. He left San Francisco to take the job at his alma mater, Michigan, where he’s gone 74-25, won back-to-back Big Ten titles and reached the College Football Playoff twice after at one point being on the hot seat. 

The Broncos are set to interview other candidates, but it is interesting that Harbaugh keeps saying he wants to be at Michigan and still flirts with the NFL.