Report: Broncos Recently Flew to Michigan to Meet With Jim Harbaugh

Do the Denver Broncos still have Jim Harbaugh in play?

The Denver Broncos’ 2023 head-coaching search is the journey that simply won’t end. The Broncos want Sean Payton. No, wait, no they don’t. 

The Broncos are very high on Jim Harbaugh but he is going back to Michigan. The Broncos really like Dan Quinn, but he's staying in Dallas before even he could even garner a second interview. 

The Broncos have DeMeco Ryans high on their list and the team could be waiting on him. The Broncos’ majority owner in Rob Walton is on a hunting trip. Nope. That was denied and allegedly erroneously reported.

The ebb and flow of the coaching search have been more enthralling than the entire 2022 regular season for the Broncos. With reports of the Broncos “slow playing” the coaching search, with no reports of the team lining up a second interview with a candidate, we now learn that, apparently, the team did in fact meet a second time with a potential coach.

According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Broncos CEO and co-owner Greg Penner and GM George Paton flew to Ann Arbor last week to have a face-to-face meeting with Harbaugh.  

Broncos owner Greg Penner and University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh met last week in Ann Arbor to discuss Denver's head-coaching position without any deal materializing, league sources told ESPN.

The follow-up conversations were part of the process for both Denver -- led by Penner with general manager George Paton -- and Harbaugh. The face-to-face meeting came after Harbaugh's initial video interview with Denver, after which he pulled his name out of contention and reaffirmed his commitment to Michigan.

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

After having a one-hour zoom call with Harbaugh the evening of Black Monday, the head coach announced one week later that he would be returning to Michigan and would not pursue an NFL head coaching gig at this time.

Considering that Denver's in-person meeting with Harbaugh took place last week and was only reported on Saturday, one has to wonder who else the Broncos have met with and just what is going on as this new ownership group wades the waters of owning an NFL franchise. With a report from 9NEWS’ Mike Klis that the Broncos have been in contact with their list of interviewees as well as a potential “mystery candidate," what news will drop next is anyone’s guess.

What’s safe to say is that the Broncos pursued Harbaugh as one of their lead candidates, if not their No. 1, for their head-coaching gig. Alas, it seems Harbaugh will stay at his alma mater as the Walton-Penner group continues to make its mark in an attempt to deliver on the 'big swing' the group had stated it would make this head-coaching cycle.

---

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!