With Michigan’s football season now over, Jim Harbaugh is emerging as an NFL coaching candidate once again.
According to a report from The Athletic, Harbaugh is expected to leave the Michigan program if asked to lead an NFL franchise, with one score close to the Wolverines head coach claiming it's a “done deal if he gets an offer.”
Off the heels of back-to-back Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances, Harbaugh has reportedly been contacted by the Denver Broncos since the team moved on from Nathaniel Hackett in December. Still, that's a long way from receiving an offer.
From NFL Now: #Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh figures to be in demand in the NFL... if he's truly interested. pic.twitter.com/Rnzj8mZUvN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2023
As an NFL head coach for four years – all with the San Francisco 49ers – Harbaugh is 44-19-1 overall, with one trip to the Super Bowl and three appearances in the NFC Championship. Harbaugh's Super Bowl trip occurred in 2012 when he met his brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans, with the 49ers losing 34-31 in a four-quarter thriller. After the 2014 season, in which San Francisco went 8-8 and missed the playoffs, Harbaugh returned to his alma mater to become Michigan’s head coach.
In eight years in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh has collected a 74-25 record as Michigan's head coach. The program's best seasons have occurred over the last two years. In both seasons, the Wolverines defeated Ohio State, won conference titles and made trips to the CFP semifinals, where they lost to eventual national champion Georgia in 2021 and were upset by TCU this season.
Harbaugh interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings’ head coaching job last February but was not offered the position. As NFL teams gear up for 2023, Harbaugh is already in consideration for the Broncos position and could draw interest from openings from other teams, such as the Indianapolis Colts – a franchise for which Harbaugh played four seasons and is a member of the team's Ring of Honor.
