Closure is coming soon to the Jim Harbaugh saga

Now that the Raiders are out of the playoffs, we can get a final determination on what’s going to happen with Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Some Michigan football fans were probably cheering for the Las Vegas Raiders to beat the Bengals on Saturday and for part of the day, I was too.

Just like I wanted the Raiders to make the playoffs, thinking it would make it more likely that Jim Harbaugh stayed with Michigan football if the Raiders advanced and kept their current coach.

But I realized there was a flaw in that thinking. Unless the Raiders made a truly great run by winning a playoff game or two (probably reaching the AFC title game), the decision was always going to be the same.

Owner Mark Davis probably knew before Saturday’s game whether he was going to stick with interim head coach Rich Bisaccia or not. ESPN’s Adam Schefter seemed to indicate that the Raiders would be looking for a new head coach.

So my attitude shifted a little more towards — let’s just get this over with.

If the Raiders are going to come with a huge offer for Harbaugh, there is nothing that’s going to stop them. It’s a matter of whether or not Jim wants to stay or go. Besides Michigan has made an offer that includes getting his pay among the elite again, as well as money for assistants.

We’ve seen all sorts of numbers thrown out there. John Bacon put the last percentage at 70/30 (in favor of staying) on a very enlightening Twitter thread.

Either way, this needs to end soon for Michigan football. If Harbaugh is going to leave, then the Wolverines need to choose their next head coach and start looking at what that means for 2022 and beyond.

But by all of his actions, including hitting the road for recruiting next week, hiring Mike Elston away from Notre Dame, and once again attending the U-M hockey game (with recruits) over the weekend, make you believe Jim Harbaugh will be back with Michigan football.

However, a new report came out from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Harbaugh’s interest in the NFL stems from his desire to win a Super Bowl, something he was a few yards short of doing with the 49ers. He led the franchise to three NFC titles games also.

Are the Raiders the team he believes he can do that with? Are they willing to give him the control that he wants because his bad relationship with the 49ers GM and ownership was a big reason he was not retained after four winning seasons and three playoff berths.

My money is still on Michigan football but as Bacon and others have said, only Harbaugh and his inner circle really know what’s happening. The rest is all guesswork. But everyone agrees that Harbaugh is happy in Ann Arbor so why would he leave? Especially now?

The best news is that with the Raiders out of the playoffs, we are bound to get some movement soon, one way or the other, and then, we can finally get the answer we’ve all been waiting for.