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Jim Harbaugh is a wanted man.
No, not by the law. But by several football teams across the NFL. Meanwhile, the Michigan Wolverines are hoping to retain the head coach (and alum) that led them to their first national championship in 26 years.
The Wolverines have reportedly offered to make Harbaugh the highest-paid man in college football. But in order to retain him, they’ll need to offer him something that no coach has ever received before.
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports reports that Harbaugh “is seeking language that would grant him immunity from termination from any finding or sanction that could arise from multiple current NCAA investigations into the football program.”
Additionally, Harbaugh wants “a delay in the start date of the new contract to maintain a lower buyout that NFL teams would have to pay Michigan to hire him away.”
Wetzel writes that the current buyout dropped from $2.25 million to $1.5 million on January 11.
The Wolverines want to push that number up to $4 million in the new deal. But Harbaugh wants the new deal held off until Feb. 15, keeping his buyout in place until the end of the NFL coach carousel.
In other words, Jim Harbaugh ain’t no dummy.
Harbaugh faced two separate, three-game suspensions in 2023 alone. The first stemmed from improper recruiting benefits. While the second was a product of the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal which he claims to have had no part in.
The NCAA is still investigating the second of those incidents.
While he maintains his innocence, clearly Harbaugh wants to insulate himself from any potential punishment.
Wetzel reports that “Harbaugh is seeking a matrix of fines be spelled out if there are any future NCAA violations as well as prohibiting the school’s athletic director from firing him “for cause” and instead having that decision, should it ever arise, rest in a three-member arbitration panel.”
It also appears that Harbaugh wants to return to the NFL at some point, even it doesn’t happen this offseason.
Will he end up back at Michigan next season? We’re not ruling it out. But those assurances may well be difficult to promise him.