Jim Harbaugh’s contract extension doesn’t shut the NFL door entirely

On Wednesday, it was announced that Michigan football and head coach Jim Harbaugh have finally agreed to a contract extension, tying him to the Wolverines until 2026. The details of that contract have finally leaked and we take a look at what it could mean for Harbaugh’s future.

After the drawn out saga between Jim Harbaugh and the NFL, many Michigan football fans breathed a sigh of relief once it was reported that the Minnesota Vikings would be hiring Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell and not Jim Harbaugh.

From that point, everyone assumed the long discussed and rumored extension and raise for Harbaugh would be announced shortly, and sure enough, yesterday was the day.

And to put some of the NFL rumors to bed, Jim Harbaugh reportedly told Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel that his NFL flirtations were over. However, as the details of his $37 million extension have been leaked, there is not a sizeable buyout included in the deal, leaving the door just slightly open to NFL interest prying Jim away from Michigan.

As reported by Detroit News writer Angelique Chengelis, Harbaugh’s buyout is just $3 million this season, with a quickly descending structure after that.

Please note: This does not mean to suggest that Jim Harbaugh is lying about his reported message to Manuel that he wanted to be at Michigan as long as they would have him.

This merely is pointing out a different reality, that while Jim and Warde have come to terms on a long-term agreement that more adequately pays Jim and his staff, there is not much in the way of an enforcement mechanism to keep Jim in Ann Arbor.

Michigan is putting its faith in Jim Harbaugh

Had Harbaugh and Manuel wanted to shut the door entirely, a significantly larger buyout could have been added to the deal.

But it appears that Manuel is giving Harbaugh a bit of respect and independence here, allowing him to be a man of his word on his own accord rather than legally binding him to it with a massive buyout.

This offseason, the early tea leaves suggested that the Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears were the ones to watch in a potential Jim Harbaugh departure.

Neither of those came to fruition however, aside from a couple of days of intense “Harbaugh to the Raiders” rumors. But the Vikings hiring one of Jim’s former front office assistants in Kwesi Mensah-Adofo showed just how quickly and unpredictably things can change in the NFL.

Jim Harbaugh has largely been a man of his word, and I personally believe he means what he said about putting an end to his NFL interest.

Securing an extension with a more adequate and competitive salary and staff salary pool should go a long way towards restoring that long-term commitment from both sides.

Regardless, Michigan should be thrilled to have Harbaugh extended and the drama of the past month now firmly behind them with this extension. Here’s to defending the Big Ten title in 2022.