Michigan's Jim Harbaugh appears to decide on NFL coaching job amid $55,000,000 contract extension rumors

The Michigan Wolverines must be ecstatic with coach Jim Harbaugh's work over the last three seasons. The program will compete in the College Football Playoff for the second straight season while also winning a third consecutive Big Ten title.

The No. 1 Wolverines' 2023 season could still bring the ultimate victory, as the midwestern school is set to face No. 4-ranked Alabama in the CFP semifinal in January.

All this success has also brought unease in the minds of those surrounding the Ann Arbor program. The belief is that the success of Michigan is intrinsically related to Jim Harbaugh, who took over the role in 2015. The question is, will there be any incentive left for the coach to stay in Ann Arbor if U-M wins the national title?

There's always been the belief that Harbaugh might want to take another shot at an NFL job, where he had a successful stint with the San Francisco 49ers in the early 2010s. According to a recent report by Derick Hutchinson, a local Detroit reporter, the coach could've signaled he would stay for another year.

Hutchinson posted on X that the coach said the following to his seniors while handing them their Big Ten championship rings in a recent ceremony:

"I just wanna say, I hope some of you are coming back next year."

That tracks with recent reports stating U-M officials are considering giving Harbaugh a $55 million five-year contract extension. While there isn't any official information, an offer like that could surely have helped the coach to make a choice.

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Jim Harbaugh's desire to return to the NFL

Every year, reports come out of Ann Arbor regarding the possibility of Harbaugh leaving for the NFL. The coach himself openly spoke about the possibility this past off-season, bluntly saying:

"It went back to Feb. 3, 2013, when the team in San Francisco got within five yards, one play of winning the Super Bowl," Harbaugh said. "And two years after that, (I) left the 49ers to come to Michigan and signed a seven-year contract. And those seven years were up, and I wondered if that was the time, or if there would be a time to go back and try to finish that.

"And so yeah, I explored it. I don't apologize for exploring it."

Jim Harbaugh is indeed one of the few successful NFL coaches to have taken the step down to the NCAA, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him return to take one more crack at it.