Bruce Feldman predicts Jim Harbaugh will entertain NFL offers after season

Bruce Feldman isn’t convinced Jim Harbaugh will be Michigan’s head coach next season. During an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” the FOX Sports reporter weighed in on Harbaugh’s future with the program.

“I would think Jim Harbaugh is entertaining offers from the NFL,” Feldman said. “[If Michigan wins the College Football Playoff] I think he’s done. I think he’s definitely going to the NFL. If he does [win it all], mission accomplished. ‘I have never won a Super Bowl. My brother’s won a Super Bowl. I never won. I came close.’ I mean, you think if he wins a national title, he’s staying there forever?”

Harbaugh is reportedly in line to get $11 million per year for the next five years, according to reporting from Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson. The lone hang-up, Johnson reports, is Michigan wanting “a commitment in writing from Harbaugh that he will not pursue an NFL job this cycle.”

Harbaugh was the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach from 2010-14. While there, he led the organization to the 2012 Super Bowl, where he lost to his brother John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens. Jim Harbaugh left the NFL for Michigan after the 2014 campaign.

Harbaugh has found immense success at Michigan, particularly in recent years. Michigan has won the Big Ten and reached the CFP three years in a row. Nonetheless, Harbaugh’s success hasn’t come without its setbacks.

Issues force Jim Harbaugh out of Ann Arbor?

The 2023 season began with Harbaugh facing a self-imposed three-game suspension related to NCAA violations that occurred during the COVID-19 dead period. After Harbaugh served his suspension he rejoined the team, only for more drama to surface.

The NCAA informed Michigan that it had received credible evidence of sign-stealing operation, one that was apparently headed by staffer Connor Stalions. The sign-stealing investigation quickly became the talk of college football for weeks, to the point that the Big Ten was considering taking punitive action on Harbaugh.

Eventually, a three-game suspension was settled on and Harbaugh missed the final three games of the regular season before returning for the Big Ten Championship Game. Feldman believes Harbaugh’s time with the Wolverines may be dwindling.

“Michigan can’t give him, I don’t think, what he most wants, which is [the Lombardi Trophy],” Feldman said. “Far be it for me to say this because it’s not my money, but if Michigan is gonna pay him $10 million or $12 million, is it really that big of a difference?”

Before Harbaugh can focus on his future, he must take care of Michigan’s present task. It’s not an easy one. On Jan. 1, the Wolverines will square off against Alabama at 5 p.m. ET in the CFP Semifinal. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.