Who makes more money, Jim Harbaugh or John Harbaugh? Comparing the career earnings of the legendary football head coaches

Who makes more money, Jim Harbaugh or John Harbaugh? Well, one thing's for certain: These two football coaches are raking in the dough in their careers. But that's not the main goal of this article, is it?

To know who makes more money between the two, all we need is to take a look at the numbers.

Who makes more money, Jim Harbaugh or John Harbaugh?

John Harbaugh makes more.

As the coach of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh earns $12 million per year. And it's well-deserved, too, as he's only had two losing seasonss since 2009 and has a legitimate star quarterback in Lamar Jackson. He's tied for sixth in the NFL's highest-paid coaches with Kansas City Chiefs head tactician Andy Reid (via NBC Sports Boston).

His younger brother, Jim, also coached in the NFL, and against John, too, leading the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. As of now, however, Jim Harbaugh coaches the Michigan Wolverines. There, he earned $7.05 million in 2022 and is set to earn $7.63 million in 2026 when his contract extension is up.

What about net worth?

Net worth-wise, it's a different story. This side of the "who makes more money: Jim Harbaugh or John Harbaugh" question has the younger Harbaugh brother coming out on top.

According to Clutch Points, Jim's net worth as of 2023 is around $35 million. And this amount of wealth is quite evident, too, considering the Michigan Wolverines coach lives in a $2.6 million mansion in Ann Arbor, which he bought in 2015 (via VirtualGlobetrotting). John's net worth, on the other hand, is around half of that at an estimated $16 million.

Jim and John Harbaugh's football careers at a glance

To say that the Harbaugh brothers have been around football for almost their entire lives is an understatement. However, they took different career paths.

Jim was one of the best quarterbacks in Michigan history, throwing for 5,449 yards and 31 TDs during his career. After an excellent collegiate stint, he was then selected by the Chicago Bears in 1987. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers.

As for John, he played at Miami of Ohio as a defensive back. But instead of trying to become a pro player, he opted to coach instead. He got his first coaching job with Western Michigan University from 1984-87. He also spent time with the University of Pittsburgh, Morehead State, Cincinnati, Indiana and the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Ravens.