Paul Finebaum makes the case for why Jim Harbaugh should leave for NFL opportunities

Jim Harbaugh could go back to the NFL, but the Michigan coach reportedly did not interview for any NFL openings just yet. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum made the case why Harbaugh should leave college football to pursue NFL opportunities once again.

Those comments came amid reports the Denver Broncos looked into Harbaugh recently and if Harbaugh were to be offered an NFL gig, he’d reportedly accept it. The Wolverines coach initially received interest to return to the pros last year from the Minnesota Vikings following his first Big Ten title as head coach.

With two in a row and two playoff appearances to boot, this could be the peak of Harbaugh at Michigan after failing to reach the national championship game for the second straight year.

“He did a great job this year, in spite of what happened on Saturday,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic. “That was just a confluence of things that are hard to predict. But I think he did his job. And that’s why I would leave too. There’s nothing more he can do, Greg. He’s not going to do any better than this year. Yeah I know his team next year looks like they’re equal to (this one) but I think he’s smart enough, I think, to just get out of there.

“I think what he did on signing day by interviewing with Minnesota (last year), indicates that he understands that. He doubled down, he got another championship, he got another win over Ohio State. And I think he’ll blow out as fast as he can.”

Harbaugh signed a five-year, $36.7 million extension with the school in February 2022 following the team’s first Big Ten title and College Football Playoff appearance under his watch.

Last year, Harbaugh interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings but the two sides could not come to an agreement and mutually decided it was better for the coach to return to Ann Arbor and the Vikings ultimately landed on Kevin O’Connell last year.

Harbaugh was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14. In those four seasons, Harbaugh went 44-19-1 and made the playoffs three times. In his second season with the 49ers, Harbaugh took them to the Super Bowl where they would come up just shy of the win against the Baltimore Ravens.

Now through eight seasons at Michigan, Harbaugh is 74-25 with two Big Ten titles and two playoff appearances, but is 1-6 in bowl games.