NFL Rumors: Insider claims Jim Harbaugh return to the NFL in 2022 could be on the cards

Is another graduation day looming for Jim Harbaugh? One NFL insider believes it's a possibility.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Harbaugh may insert his name into one of the upcoming coaching vacancies the NFL has to offer. Harbaugh recently wrapped up his seventh season at the helm of the University of Michigan's football program, but could be lured back to the NFL with the right opportunity. Feldman's report mentioned both the Chicago Bears and the Las Vegas Raiders as possibilities.

"The Athletic is hearing rumblings, both from the NFL side and at Michigan, that Harbaugh might be tempted to leave the Wolverines to return to the NFL," Feldman said. "'I think it's real," said one source this week when asked about the possibility of Harbaugh being interested in heading back to the NFL."

Harbaugh has not coached in the NFL since 2014

Harbaugh's most recent NFL experience came with the San Francisco 49ers, where he amassed a 44-19-1 record over four seasons, one of which ended in the Super Bowl. He has since returned to the college scene where he has earned three conference titles, including the most recent Big Ten championship with the Wolverines this season.

While the 2021 campaign ended in heartbreak last Friday (Michigan fell to a one-sided Orange Bowl defeat to Georgia in the College Football Playoff's semifinals), Harbaugh guided the team to a No. 2 ranking in the final CFP playoff standings, its first appearance in the four-team tournament. The Wolverines (12-2) also clinched their first outright Big Ten title since 2003 and their first win over archrival Ohio State since 2011.

Harbaugh does have a connection to each of the teams listed in Feldman's report: he served as a Chicago quarterback for seven seasons (1987-93) after the team chose him in the first round out of Michigan. He later served as a quarterbacks coach and offensive assistant with the Raiders for two seasons (2002-03), one of which ended in the Super Bowl, his first coaching job after his last NFL season in 2001.

Neither Chicago or Las Vegas has made any decisions about their respective futures beyond Week 18, but many expect the Bears to bid Matt Nagy farewell. Rich Bisaccia, who has taken over for the disgraced Jon Gruden, has situated the Raiders in a win-or-go-home game against divisional rivals Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).

College coaches often miss more than they hit in the NFL — look no further than the chaotic case of Harbaugh's former Columbus-based nemesis Urban Meyer in Jacksonville — but Harbaugh has proven that he can win at the professional level. His return to the NFL will be one of the most talked-about hypotheticals of the upcoming coaching carousel, which should start spinning almost immediately after the regular season wraps on Sunday.