Jim Harbaugh’s future at Michigan is one of the most unpredictable stories in sports. A couple of months ago it seemed like a safe lock that the head coach would sign an extension and stay with the Wolverines for the foreseeable future, but now that’s in flux.
Harbaugh is still without a new contract, and despite some reports he’s inching closer to a new deal — there’s a chance this might be out of both sides’ hands. The NCAA continues to investigate “SignalGate,” and if history has taught us anything it’s that college coaches tend to jump ship when the heat is on.
There’s a non-zero chance Harbaugh could face a mammoth fine and suspension from the NCAA if it’s found he was aware of the sign stealing scandal — which in turn would force Michigan’s hand at parting ways with the coach. With his contract situation still up in the air, and numerous NFL teams set to look for a proven coach it’s time to assess where he could wind up if Harbaugh leaves the Wolverines.
Carolina Panthers
This is a natural fit, and by “natural” I of course mean “they will pay him whatever he wants and give him as much control as he wants.”
Panthers owner David Tepper is a world-class meddler who is desperate to get credit for a team’s success. That’s been disastrous in Carolina. Still, this is the richest single owner in the NFL who would absolutely open the checkbook for Harbaugh, hire whatever supporting staff he wants, and potentially even give him GM-level control of football operations.
With each passing week it feels like current general manager Scott Fitterer isn’t long for Carolina, which means we’ll likely see a full house cleaning in the spring. This team is coming off making a widely-loved, sensible coaching hire in Frank Reich — so they’re overdue to do something brash and dumb to try and right the ship.
Las Vegas Raiders
I’m giving the Raiders a great shot at this because it’s baked into their DNA. Mark Davis loves nothing more than to kick a promising, exciting interim coach to the curb and make a big splashy hire.
There are some questions whether the Raiders have the cash solvency to hire Harbaugh to a big-money deal and pay out the rest of Josh McDaniels’ outstanding contract — but I’m confident they’d find a way.
From a football perspective it’s not a horrible spot to land in. The Raiders’ defense has some nice pieces on it, and offensively the talent is there — they just need to maximize their potential on the field. If Davis hired Harbaugh he would literally keep him for the duration of the deal just out of financial necessity — giving him a ton of rope to work with.
Chicago Bears
This has been rumored as a long-time Harbaugh landing spot, and it still makes sense. Coaching is the biggest problem Chicago has, giving Harbaugh a chance to lift them up immediately. As the cherry on top it’s looking increasingly like the Bears will have the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft (from Carolina), which would allow Harbaugh to find his franchise quarterback — or, if he believes in Justin Fields, get a top-tier weapon for him like Marvin Harrison Jr.
There’s a lot to like about taking over a storied franchise like the Bears, and there’s plenty of midwest regional familiarity for Harbaugh there too. This is one that makes a lot of sense as well.
New England Patriots
Let’s just get silly with this, shall we? Now, there are a lot of moving pieces to the idea of Harbaugh taking over the Patriots — which would be precipitated by Bill Belichick either walking away or getting fired.
There’s a very real chance one of those things happen, and with the entire coaching staff being so intimately tied to Belichick it would allow Harbaugh to put his mark on the entire organization. As an additional benefit this team has long allowed its coach to be de facto GM, which would appeal to Harbaugh as a natural progression if he’s after control of an organization.
This feels like a really outside chance, but don’t sleep on it.
New York Jets
Robert Saleh probably shouldn’t be penalized for losing Aaron Rodgers, but his continual flip-flopping on personnel decisions at quarterback is definitely a problem.
This would be an appealing landing spot for Harbaugh because he’d get to walk in and be a hero right away. Essentially he’d land the team the Jets were supposed to have in 2023, and by that virtue alone they’d be much improved in 2024. Harbaugh would get flowers immediately for “turning things around,” even if he doesn’t need to do anything to get the team there except coach.
The Jets have tons of talent, and Harbaugh could easily be the man to pull it together.
Washington Commanders
New ownership, a coach whose seat couldn’t get hotter. Could that mean Harbaugh in the nation’s capital? Perhaps.
It’s difficult to see how Ron Rivera is able to continue coaching after this season as it was always semi-known this would be his last year as head coach unless something dramatic happened in 2023. New owners like to pick “their guy,” and Harbaugh would be a hell of a statement that they’re looking for a home run, not mediocrity.
This Commanders team really isn’t bad. There are lingering questions at quarterback, and the defensive line needs to be reformed — but the cupboards aren’t bare. That could be really appealing for Harbaugh to be geographically close to his brother, and compete in the attention-filled NFC East.
What are the odds Harbaugh actually goes to the NFL?
That’s the big unknown here. All signs point to both Harbaugh and Michigan wanting to continue together, but the ultimate decision could be out of their hands. The coach has flirted with the NFL before as leverage, but this time in feels different.
If the NCAA turns over some ugly stones then Harbaugh is gone — it’s that simple. Whether or not that evidence exists remains to be seen.
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