Michigan Football: Dolphins push for Jim Harbaugh is cause for concern

If Miami has now entered the sweepstakes for Jim Harbaugh, Michigan football fans need to be very worried about losing their head coach. 

For the past few weeks…nearly a month, we have heard about how Jim Harbaugh was likely to return to Michigan football as head coach on a new contract.

We’ve also kept hearing that the longer this whole thing between Harbaugh and Michigan plays out, the less likely it is that he will return to coach the Wolverines.

When the NFL rumors first hit, the Las Vegas Raiders were the team to watch. Then, it was the Giants and now, it’s both the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins.

At least if reports are true. The interest from the Vikings is real. Harbaugh interviewed with the team over the weekend and could be one, of a few candidates, to visit the facility this week.

That’s enough to be worried about but then on Sunday, FanSided’s Mark Carman reported that sources told him Harbaugh was leaving for Miami and would be telling the team as soon as Monday.

While no one else had that info reported, and while both Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider and Chris Balas of The Wolverine refuted any reports of a meeting happening Monday morning, others are hearing there could be truth to the Miami Dolphins talk.

Why Miami talk should freak out Michigan football fans

If you are a Michigan football fan and you want Harbaugh back next season, then the mention of the Miami Dolphins should make you very worried.

I know that Stephen Ross, a Michigan alum who owns the Dolphins, said he wouldn’t take Jim Harbaugh away from Michigan football.

But what if Jim is dead set on leaving for the NFL?

Then, you’d have to think Ross would make a play. He’s always wanted Harbaugh as his head coach and he would surely try to swoop in if he thought the Vikings were going to land Harbaugh, which to be fair, seems like a big if with the other candidates.

And with the way, Jim has behaved — not signing his extension and delaying all of this — it’s starting to feel like his interest in the NFL is more than just passing.

As I said before, Warde Manuel and Michigan football bungled this entire negotiation from the start. If Manuel had given Harbaugh a 10-year $100 million deal or at least something in that range after the Big Ten title game, this would never have happened.

Harbaugh felt disrespected after last season and after getting Michigan to the top of the mountain, he wasn’t even rewarded with becoming the best-paid coach in the Big Ten, which is exactly where he should be.

Now, the Wolverines are scrambling and (hopefully) trying to keep their head coach. And if things keep moving in this direction, Manuel will be searching for a new head coach soon.

Most insiders are still saying Harbaugh is likely to return, but it just feels like people won’t believe he’s gone until he actually is and I don’t know how anyone can put the odds of his return at anything higher than 50/50.