Bruce Feldman: Could Jim Harbaugh return to the NFL? 'I think it's real'

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SelectionSunday said:
My 2 cents is he'll stay at Michigan. He's angling to get a big payday after finally winning the Big Ten and getting a CFP invite, as well as seeing what Mel Tucker is getting paid down the road at MSU.
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I think he's gone.

- Envious of his brother's Super Bowl Ring
- Realizes beating Ohio St regularly much less the SEC is a tall order
- Resents the pay cut last year
- More cash
- Leaves alma mater on a high note
- Can go to a couple of places that are not a complete rebuild
- At his age, probably now or never to go to the NFL
 

From what I hear Harbaugh hates the recruiting part of his job, which is what makes the NFL so attractive to him, especially since he's done it before in SF. All he has to do is coach.

I do wonder if they're also offering him final say on personnel like Gruden had. That would make the job more attractive and give him even more money.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
From what I hear Harbaugh hates the recruiting part of his job, which is what makes the NFL so attractive to him, especially since he's done it before in SF. All he has to do is coach.

I do wonder if they're also offering him final say on personnel like Gruden had. That would make the job more attractive and give him even more money.
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I thought he liked sleepovers.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
From what I hear Harbaugh hates the recruiting part of his job, which is what makes the NFL so attractive to him, especially since he's done it before in SF. All he has to do is coach.

I do wonder if they're also offering him final say on personnel like Gruden had. That would make the job more attractive and give him even more money.
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The Transfer Portal in addition to recruiting demands has to make a jump to the NFL even more attractive, if a good opportunity presents itself.
 

I think he stays and gets another re-do on his contract. If he were to jump back to the NFL, my guess would be Chicago.
 


PMWinSTP said:
I think he stays and gets another re-do on his contract. If he were to jump back to the NFL, my guess would be Chicago.
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Only if he likes Justin Fields. The next coach sinks or swims with him.
 

PMWinSTP said:
I think he stays and gets another re-do on his contract. If he were to jump back to the NFL, my guess would be Chicago.
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Ugggghhhhhh..... Not even a choice, between the two.... the murder capital of the world and shitty winters versus Las Vegas, and no state income tax? Not remotely a choice. Admittedly, I'm biased, I have Raiders tickets, but I still think it's a way better job.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Ugggghhhhhh..... Not even a choice, between the two.... the murder capital of the world and shitty winters versus Las Vegas, and no state income tax? Not remotely a choice. Admittedly, I'm biased, I have Raiders tickets, but I still think it's a way better job.
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You are biased. Don't really think the weather is a concern for him. I see his tie to Bears as stronger than to Raiders. Not seeing how it is a way better job. 11 different HC in the last 20 years. Two playoff appearances in the last 19 years.
 

PMWinSTP said:
You are biased. Don't really think the weather is a concern for him. I see his tie to Bears as stronger than to Raiders. Not seeing how it is a way better job. 11 different HC in the last 20 years. Two playoff appearances in the last 19 years.
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If he's remotely thinking of jumping to the NFL, I would guess a lot of it will come down to how much say and control he'll have over personnel matters. Clearly Mark Davis was cool with Jon Gruden making most of those calls, I would guess the same would be for Jimmy H.

Who knows if he'll make the jump though?
 




Cedar Rapids Gopher said:
He made Kapernick look like an NFL QB. Or at least for a year.
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Well, in all fairness, it most mostly 49ers OC Greg Roman who was pulling the strings on that San Francisco offense at the time (along with Kap's former Univ of Nevada Head Coach Chris Ault as an "offensive consultant" if I recall correctly); maybe not a coincidence, Roman is the OC in Baltimore for the last several years as well
 

BleedGopher said:
per Bruce:

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Jim Harbaugh was coming off a 2-4 season after which he took a sizable pay cut to remain the head coach of his alma mater. Fast forward a year and Harbaugh finally beat archrival Ohio State, led Michigan to its first Big Ten title in 17 years and won AP Coach of the Year honors.

And now, 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. “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.

The Raiders head coaching job might be tough for him to say no to given his ties to the organization — he started his coaching career there in 2003 — and the fact that there’s already a solid quarterback in place in Derek Carr. He’s also friends with Raiders owner Mark Davis.

It is worth noting that the Raiders are on a three-game winning streak under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and could become a playoff team if they beat the Chargers on Sunday. Whether Davis is looking to find a new head coach is yet to be determined.

The Bears might be another option.

theathletic.com

Could Jim Harbaugh return to the NFL? 'I think it's real'

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Jim Harbaugh was coming off a 2-4 season after which he took a sizable pay cut to remain the head coach of his alma mater. Fast forward a year and Harbaugh finally beat archrival Ohio State, led Michigan to its first Big Ten title in 17 years and...
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Go Gophers!!
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He's got 1 foot on the next plane to Vegas and fans here are already chiming in w good riddance. 2021 was as good as it's going to get for MI under Harbaugh and he knows it. Not 100% by any means, but personally, I'd be shocked if he's not seen at the Craps Tables, downtown Vegas soon.
 

Ypsi Gopher said:
He's got 1 foot on the next plane to Vegas and fans here are already chiming in w good riddance. 2021 was as good as it's going to get for MI under Harbaugh and he knows it. Not 100% by any means, but personally, I'd be shocked if he's not seen at the Craps Tables, downtown Vegas soon.
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Any sense for who fans are hoping for as a potential replacement if he does leave?
 



PMWinSTP said:
You are biased. Don't really think the weather is a concern for him. I see his tie to Bears as stronger than to Raiders. Not seeing how it is a way better job. 11 different HC in the last 20 years. Two playoff appearances in the last 19 years.
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He may have stronger ties, but that doesn't mean he wants that job. If he goes to the NFL he wants a job he won't be fired from in 3 years. Sinking or swimming with Fields is quite the gamble. Vegas will give him everything he wants...

If Harbaugh doesn't leave now (and he may not) he likely never will. Very unlikely his stock will be higher cause he isn't likely to beat tOSU all that many times. Even if he does the SEC will roll his teams. This is his peak. He can cash in with a new contract (not a bad plan) or cash in with an NFL job.

As for whether PJ gets a look...if they are that far down the list that he gets serious consideration then they are in trouble. If Michigan can't get a sniff of the elite coaches out there in the NCAA and NFL then they are on the slow road to Nebraska territory. I love PJ but if USC is stealing Riley from Oklahoma and LSU is stealing Brian Kelly from Notre Dame (in a year they almost made the CFP) and the best Michigan can do is steal PJ from Minnesota I dont care how much good will PJ has in the western part of Michigan that will not go over well.

And if I was PJ that would not be a job I would want to take. Harbaugh was the Prodigal Son and before he beat tOSU finally no one really seemed all that keen on keeping him around. (nor is anyone protesting begging he get a new deal it would seem after losing in the CFP) PJ is not a Michigan Man and will have all those same struggles. His schtick will die hard if he isn't winning and fast. Here if you win a rivalry game and have a winning record you aren't going anywhere. There if you aren't in the National Title talk (deserved or not) you are in serious trouble. And unlike here where Wisconsin and Iowa are tough but beatable...tOSU most years isn't. If I was PJ I would be looking for a job where job security is a bit higher. I am obviously not him though.
 

Ypsi Gopher said:
He's got 1 foot on the next plane to Vegas and fans here are already chiming in w good riddance. 2021 was as good as it's going to get for MI under Harbaugh and he knows it. Not 100% by any means, but personally, I'd be shocked if he's not seen at the Craps Tables, downtown Vegas soon.
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Downtown??

I take it you're not familiar with Vegas. He won't be slumming downtown.
 

PMWinSTP said:
You are biased. Don't really think the weather is a concern for him. I see his tie to Bears as stronger than to Raiders. Not seeing how it is a way better job. 11 different HC in the last 20 years. Two playoff appearances in the last 19 years.
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Are those crappy stats you present for the Raiders or Bears? lol.

Ownership for both teams is bad. The Raiders have a proven very good QB while the Bears have one with potential. Both have churned through coaches and GMs this century (although let's be honest, Gruden is still there if the emails didn't surface), and neither has been anything close to a playoff regular. I'm not sure I'd want to jump into a division with young QBs like Mahomes and Herbert instead of an aging Aaron Rodgers who probably has a few good years left (if he's not traded outside the division), and nothing else in the North.
 



PMWinSTP said:
You are biased. Don't really think the weather is a concern for him. I see his tie to Bears as stronger than to Raiders. Not seeing how it is a way better job. 11 different HC in the last 20 years. Two playoff appearances in the last 19 years.
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I'd take the team that just made the playoffs thus year without a head coach and some of the crazier off the field turmoil I can remember in a long time. Fields might be good, but Carr already had proven he's an above average NFL QB. The Bears defensive stars seem to be aging as well, so their strength is going away in the near future too.
 

Dave H said:
He may have stronger ties, but that doesn't mean he wants that job. If he goes to the NFL he wants a job he won't be fired from in 3 years. Sinking or swimming with Fields is quite the gamble. Vegas will give him everything he wants...

If Harbaugh doesn't leave now (and he may not) he likely never will. Very unlikely his stock will be higher cause he isn't likely to beat tOSU all that many times. Even if he does the SEC will roll his teams. This is his peak. He can cash in with a new contract (not a bad plan) or cash in with an NFL job.

As for whether PJ gets a look...if they are that far down the list that he gets serious consideration then they are in trouble. If Michigan can't get a sniff of the elite coaches out there in the NCAA and NFL then they are on the slow road to Nebraska territory. I love PJ but if USC is stealing Riley from Oklahoma and LSU is stealing Brian Kelly from Notre Dame (in a year they almost made the CFP) and the best Michigan can do is steal PJ from Minnesota I dont care how much good will PJ has in the western part of Michigan that will not go over well.

And if I was PJ that would not be a job I would want to take. Harbaugh was the Prodigal Son and before he beat tOSU finally no one really seemed all that keen on keeping him around. (nor is anyone protesting begging he get a new deal it would seem after losing in the CFP) PJ is not a Michigan Man and will have all those same struggles. His schtick will die hard if he isn't winning and fast. Here if you win a rivalry game and have a winning record you aren't going anywhere. There if you aren't in the National Title talk (deserved or not) you are in serious trouble. And unlike here where Wisconsin and Iowa are tough but beatable...tOSU most years isn't. If I was PJ I would be looking for a job where job security is a bit higher. I am obviously not him though.
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Odds say he would be more likely to be fired with the Raiders. I agree on PJ. He is not a fit for many reasons, some of which you have pointed out. There's not a lot of up side for him either.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
Are those crappy stats you present for the Raiders or Bears? lol.

Ownership for both teams is bad. The Raiders have a proven very good QB while the Bears have one with potential. Both have churned through coaches and GMs this century (although let's be honest, Gruden is still there if the emails didn't surface), and neither has been anything close to a playoff regular. I'm not sure I'd want to jump into a division with young QBs like Mahomes and Herbert instead of an aging Aaron Rodgers who probably has a few good years left (if he's not traded outside the division), and nothing else in the North.
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Raiders. Bears are much better (still not good) in comparison.
 

I'm A Maroon 2! said:
I'd take the team that just made the playoffs thus year without a head coach and some of the crazier off the field turmoil I can remember in a long time. Fields might be good, but Carr already had proven he's an above average NFL QB. The Bears defensive stars seem to be aging as well, so their strength is going away in the near future too.
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I think Carr is 57-72 as QB of Raiders.
 

If Rodgers leaves GB like PA has predicted then Harbaugh should choose the bears cuz it’s anyones division title. Meatsauce don’t steal my take.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Ugggghhhhhh..... Not even a choice, between the two.... the murder capital of the world and shitty winters versus Las Vegas, and no state income tax? Not remotely a choice. Admittedly, I'm biased, I have Raiders tickets, but I still think it's a way better job.
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I thought you had AZ card season duckets?
 


Spaulding!No! said:
I thought you had AZ card season duckets?
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I have AZ Cardinals, LV Raiders, Vegas Golden Knights, and Henderson Silver Knights. Some are mine alone and some of them I stick the company for. I like taking people to games. Hey, there are a lot worse vices!

I forget what it is but Harbaugh had some relationship with Al Davis and the Raiders early in his career and fell in love with the Raiders and the history, what it means to be a "Raider", etc.

I kinda think it's either the Raiders or a lot bigger paycheck at Michigan. I just don't see him taking on Chicago? I guess I could be wrong.
 




matt said:
Michigan sees other teams hire Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, and Mario Cristobal who have all won their conference and/or been to the CFP. Do you think they’ll be happy with a coach who has been in the Big Ten for 5 years and hasn’t won his weak division, had a losing record last year, lost to the likes of Bowling Green and Illinois, and has struggled to beat his biggest rivals? PJ is a tier 2 or 3 candidate for Michigan.
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Do you seriously expect PJ to make the U program competitive with the recruiting classes of a Michigan in just 5 years? I think he will get close eventually. PJ builds a cult like family devotion and work ethic from his players that teams like Michigan would drool over. He would just roll the Row the boat into some other longtime Michigan lore. Just imagine what he could get out of the talent that Michigan recruits every year. I sure hope Michigan finds someone else because I want PJ to stay at the U. PJ has shown that he can win given lesser tools as he builds up the program. The only programs that I worry about stealing PJ was Norte Dame and Michigan. They are programs with rich family traditions that could attract him away.
 

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