Report: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Have Discussed New Contract Amid NFL Rumors

Jim Harbaugh has not lived up to the sky-high expectations that were in place when Michigan hired him as its head football coach, but that reportedly might not stop the school from signing him to a contract extension.

According to reporter John U. Bacon, athletic director Warde Manuel has talked about an extension with a lower base salary and buyout that would feature performance incentives and the ability to "hire top assistants."

It apparently puts the ball in Harbaugh's court, as "at least five NFL teams have expressed an interest in hiring him."

Harbaugh was largely successful during his four years as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014 and went 44-19-1 while reaching a Super Bowl. With that resume, it should come as no surprise that NFL teams are interested in bringing him back to that level.

The biggest question may be whether he believes his time at his alma mater will continue trending in the wrong direction, which may lead to him reaching the conclusion that he is better off going back to the NFL.

It appeared as if Michigan made a home run hire at the start.

The Wolverines went 5-7 in 2014 before bringing Harbaugh aboard and immediately turned things around during a 10-3 campaign in 2015 that ended with a Citrus Bowl win over Florida. They were in the middle of the College Football Playoff discussion at 10-1 in 2016 only to end their regular season with a loss to Ohio State that dropped them out of contention.

That was a sign of things to come, as the rival Buckeyes also knocked them out of CFP contention in 2018.

In fact, Harbaugh has never beaten Michigan's chief rival and lost the last two matchups by a combined 52 points. Ohio State is an annual championship contender, and Michigan has fallen far behind following a 9-4 effort in 2019 and a 2-4 start to the 2020 campaign.

The Wolverines have also lost their last four bowl games under Harbaugh and have never even reached the Big Ten Championship Game, underscoring their inability to come through in big moments under the head coach.

They will have another chance to turn that narrative around Saturday against the Buckeyes, but upsetting the No. 4 team in the CFP rankings is a tall task.

There is a real possibility that any official news of Harbaugh's contract extension comes with the backdrop of another blowout loss against the program that has lapped his as a national contender in the Big Ten.