Schefter: Michigan's Jim Harbaugh Would Entertain Compelling NFL Offer After CFP Run

This offseason could finally be the one in which Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh cashes in his chips and returns to the NFL, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"If there's a team out there that really wants him, that makes a really compelling offer, my sense is that he would be interested absolutely in listening and entertaining that offer," Schefter said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show.

He added that nothing is set in stone at this point.

Harbaugh hasn't exactly hidden his past interest in an NFL return.

During the 2022 hiring cycle, he even went so far as to interview with the Minnesota Vikings on national signing day. ESPN's Courtney Cronin reported at the time the impression was that "he operated under the assumption that the job was his and prepared for the interview as such."

Days later, it became clear Harbaugh would be staying at Michigan. He told the Detroit Free Press' Mitch Albom the Vikings had reached out to him first and that the vacancy "was something I wanted to explore."

Harbaugh added that he reaffirmed his commitment to the Wolverines and told athletic director Warde Manuel that "his will not be a reoccurring theme every year."

"This was a one-time thing," he said.

However, Harbaugh once again found himself the subject of NFL speculation after the 2022 season, which prompted him to release a statement that might've added more uncertainty to his long-term future in Ann Arbor.

"As I stated in December, while no one knows what the future holds, I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023," he said.

By that point, the calls for Michigan to fire Harbaugh had long since died down. Him saying "no one knows what the future holds" and that he "expected" to keep coaching the Wolverines wasn't alluding to any effort on the school's part to sever the partnership.

Despite him helping make Michigan a national powerhouse again, there still may be questions as to how much NFL teams have changed their view of the 60-year-old as a candidate.

NBC Sports' Peter King questioned in November "whether any team in the NFL will take on that headache" if Harbaugh were to be "drummed out of college football in the next two or three months."

But The Athletic's Dianna Russini also reported that month on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that Harbaugh was "absolutely" mentioned in the NFL coaching carousel.

Having already earned a win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl, delivering the Wolverines' first national title since 1997 might put him over the top in terms of getting a worthwhile offer.