Michigan's Jim Harbaugh Earned $3M in Contract Bonuses During 2023-24 CFP Title Run

After leading Michigan to its first national championship since 1997, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was rewarded with a hefty payday.

According to Steve Berkowitz of USA Today, Harbaugh received $3 million in bonuses for the season, which is the highest amount since USA Today began tracking bonuses in 2019.

Harbaugh has a base pay of $8.2 million. Berkowitz noted that the breakdown of his bonuses is $1 million for the Wolverines' win in Monday night's national title game, $500,000 for the team playing in the Big Ten Conference championship game, $1 million for winning the Big Ten title and $500,000 for earning a selection to play in the CFP semifinals.

Harbaugh had received a $2.2 million bonus last season. His bonus in 2021 was $2.225 million, but he redirected nearly $1.5 million of his bonus to members of the Michigan athletic department who took pay cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bonuses were added to Harbaugh's contract after he took a 50-percent cut in his annual base pay to $4 million after Michigan went 9-4 in 2019 and 2-4 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. They remained in place when he renegotiated his deal again after the 2021 campaign to move his base pay back up to $8 million.

If Harbaugh chooses to continue his tenure at Michigan rather than returning to the NFL, he could be in for another $150,000 depending on the team's NCAA Academic Progress Rate scores.

Berkowitz noted that the total bonus money given to FBS head coaches this season exceeded $15.5 million. Also, 14 head coaches reached goals that would've triggered automatic contract extensions worth a combined $58.7 million.