NFL’s Black Monday could impact Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Football

The biggest day of coaching changes in the NFL, Black Monday, is coming up soon. Be prepared for more “Harbaugh to the NFL” rumors once again, which have already started. We take a look at those and how the NFL carousel could affect the Wolverines and their coaching staff.

We have another round of “Harbaugh to the NFL” rumors starting up again. This upcoming Monday, January 10 is the day that a majority of underachieving NFL franchises choose to fire their struggling coaches, unofficially known as Black Monday.

Several years ago, current Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh was one of those coaches that was out of a job, parting ways with the San Francisco 499ers in what Harbaugh described as a non-mutual split.

With Michigan’s and Harbaugh’s reputations restored to enviable heights after a 12-2 season thus far, many NFL media personalities have begun speculating that Harbaugh could be a candidate to return to the NFL, notably to either the Las Vegas Raiders or Chicago Bears.

A recent report from ESPN’s Dan Graziano suggested the Harbaugh and the Raiders were a potential pairing to “keep an eye on“. Harbaugh was linked to the Raiders opening back when they still resided in Oakland, California, but ultimately opted to return to his alma mater instead. More recently, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Nick Baumgardner both tweeted out today that they believe that Harbaugh “might be tempted” by the Raiders opening.

The connection to the Chicago Bears comes from Harbaugh’s ties and connections to the franchise. He was a first-round pick by Chicago in the 1987 NFL Draft and started at quarterback for them for half a dozen years.

Harbaugh will almost certainly be offered a raise and extension by Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel but could have options to return to the NFL if he wants to. Ultimately, it seems very unlikely that Harbaugh would actually leave Michigan football for the NFL, with the more likely scenario being Harbaugh using the rumors as a little bit of leverage when he and Manuel renegotiate his contract.

Remember, Harbaugh “bet on himself” by taking a sizable pay cut last offseason, and given the extensions for other Big Ten coaches like Mel Tucker and James Franklin, Harbaugh would be in line for something similar.

Here’s how Black Monday could impact Michigan’s rivals and also, its assistant coaches too.