Report: Jim Harbaugh's Odds of Staying at Michigan 'Growing'

The Denver Broncos' purported head-coaching 'frontrunner' could be angling to disappoint the NFL.

For the last few days, Jim Harbaugh has been rumored to be the favorite to land the Denver Broncos' head-coaching job. The Broncos held a virtual interview with Harbaugh on Monday night that lasted two-plus hours. 

Then, two days later, out of the blue, the Broncos interviewed former Standford head coach David Shaw. It was a palaver that many analysts and fans alike wondered whether it was a look-see as a potential offensive coordinator hire under a potential Harbaugh regime in Denver. 

That brings us to Thursday and the wet blanket University of Michigan president Santa Ono tossed on Broncos Country as he took to Twitter.

"I['m] pleased to share that I have been having very positive and constructive conversations with our Athletic Director and Football Coach. Warde Manuel and I both want to see Jim Harbaugh stay as the head football coach of the University of Michigan Wolverines," Ono tweeted. 

Not long after, Harbaugh himself released a statement via the Wolverines' social media accounts, giving yet another lukewarm reassurance to Michigan fans that he'll be staying in the NCAA. 

"I am in full support of President Ono's message to our fans and appreciate his support of me and the team," Harbaugh said. 

#GoBlue https://t.co/hBHOyqotDx pic.twitter.com/Fce3ddopKx

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 12, 2023

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The Harbaugh-is-staying-at-Michigan buzz didn't end there, however. John U. Bacon of The New York Times tweeted that his Michigan sources feel Harbaugh's odds of staying are growing. 

"Sources confirm what seems increasingly apparent: Odds of Harbaugh staying at UM growing by the hour. Not done yet, but looks to be going in that direction," Bacon tweeted. 

Sources confirm what seems increasingly apparent: Odds of Harbaugh staying at UM growing by the hour.
Not done yet, but looks to be going in that direction.

— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) January 12, 2023

Juxtapose this sudden PR push to keep Harbaugh at Michigan with the consistent reports from sources close to the head coach that he's bent on returning to the NFL. The most recent report on the matter came from The Athletic's Mike Sando. 

“He will flat go to Denver,” a former Harbaugh associate predicted, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “He is not thinking about any of that stuff. He will just go take it, in my opinion. He thought he was going to get the Vikings job last year and it didn’t happen.”

Harbaugh's two half-hearted attempts to mollify Wolverines fans that he's not leaving Michigan is another crucial factor in this calculus. Here's what he said just last week. 

"As I stated in December, while no one knows what the future holds, I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023."

Way to leave yourself an out there, coach. Indeed, the future is cloudy but only if it's because Harbaugh doesn't intend to honor his current contract with Michigan. Who knows? Perhaps he's looking to parlay this NFL scrutiny into a pay raise at Michigan. 

It doesn't feel like that's the goal, though. For whatever reason, Harbaugh is feeling the pull back to the NFL. Perhaps it's a matter of unfinished business. Although Harbaugh coached the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl, he failed to win it. 

More likely, the NFL's allure for Harbaugh is about money. He's set to make $7,050,000 with Michigan this year after signing a five-year extension last spring worth $36M. 

While a $7M salary would compete with an average NFL coach, the Broncos' new ownership group has the means to make a head coach the highest-paid in league history. There have been rumors floating around that the Walton/Penner group would be willing to pay as much as $20M/year for an elite coach.

Whether that's a Harbaugh or a Sean Payton, obviously, figures of that magnitude would capture any connected coach's attention. The Broncos will meet with Payton in Los Angeles on Tuesday, in person. 

Although the Broncos have interviewed other head-coaching candidates, and plan to talk with more, it feels like this race is coming down to Harbaugh and Payton. For now, Harbaugh is keeping Michigan at arm's length while he waits to see how the Broncos' situation coalesces in the coming week. 

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