This year has been so weird, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve lost track of time. And it hasn’t gotten any better with days shortening, daylight dwindling, and temperatures dropping to the point where I have minimal interest in spending extended time outside. But one way to snap me back to reality, or at least get me to a place where I know what day and month we’re in, is to share rumors regarding Jim Harbaugh’s coaching future.
It must be early-to-mid December, because this train is never 🦋late:
Harbaugh can now accept, negotiate, or decline. At least five NFL teams have expressed an interest in hiring him – per usual – though not clear if any have made firm offers yet. (2/2)
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon)
We’re no stranger to rumors connecting Harbaugh to interested NFL teams. When time was running out on the John Fox era, Harbaugh-to-Chicago whispers were unavoidable. And we covered them plenty. Most recently, Harbaugh’s name came up in connection with the Packers job thatꦛ ultimately went to Matt LaFleur. But every time it came up, Harbaugh returned to campus. And yet, teams still com𓃲e calling with interest.
What’s most interesting about John U. Bacon’s reporting is that the offered extension reportedly includes (1) a lower base-salary and (2) a more affordable buyout. Which makes (3) increased interest from NFL teams the next logical step in the process. NFL teams are looking at a decline in revenue after playing through a pandemic. The league and its teams aren’t losing money, it’s just that there will be less to throw around. And with Michigan trimming Harbaugh’s buyout, perhaps that might be enough for an interested team to swallow hard on the buyout to lure a coach away from the college ranks. After all, Harbaugh proved to be a successful NFL head coach. And to that end, I wonder if he would still be in the league had he not been on the losing end of a battle with a GM who was fired two years after his own departure. But that’s a discussion for a different day.
As for the Bears, I won’t go as far as to suggest they would be among the teams potentially inquiring about Harbaugh’s interest in coaching at the NFL level again. However, it doesn’t take much for me to envision a scenario in which the decision-makers at the top of the franchise envisioning Harbaugh as a brand name who’s a member of the Bears family whose hiring could make for a neat triumphant return of the prodigal son narrative. Again, I’m not saying I’d necessarily do it. But I can’t rule it out of hand. So stay tuned.
