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WATCH: Paul Finebaum blasts Michigan, Jim Harbaugh contract extension

James Fletcher IIIby:James Fletcher III•02/17/22•

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(Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum spoke harshly of Michigan’s decision to give Jim Harbaugh a contract extension following his drawn-out flirt with the NFL. Although he recognizes the need to do so, the expert feels the deal benefits no one in the end.

During his Thursday appearance on ESPN’s Get Up!, Paul Finebaum went off on the Jim Harbaugh extension. He also feels it serves as a macrocosm of college football.

“I think it’s preposterous,” said Finebaum. “But it’s also a necessity of college football. To stay ahead in recruiting, you have to keep extending coaches, and that’s how programs get in so much fiscal trouble.”

While the contract details – released Thursday by the Detroit News – show Harbaugh’s buyout to be a manageable $3 million with a $750,000 decrease each season, his salary nearly doubles to more than $7 million per year.

Despite the modest buyout and one-year extension from the original deal, Finebaum sees no point for either side in continuing this relationship.

“But what sense does this make?” asked Finebaum. “Jim Harbaugh did not want to be there. We all know that. On National Signing Day, two weeks ago, he got on a plane and went to Minnesota wanting that job for the reasons we just heard. He wants to win a Super Bowl. He didn’t get the job, so he crawls back to Michigan. And Warde Manuel, the AD, really has no option. He extends Harbaugh’s contract by a year. This is not that dramatic. And I think the two sides are stuck with each other, this marriage is going nowhere. Michigan has a good team for next year but the optics of this to me are really bad.”

More on Jim Harbaugh

There was talk around the program that his job security was in question before the 2021 season. Harbaugh had his base salary cut by the Wolverines, from $8 million to $4 million as he signed a four-year extension back then. Just one year later, his pay is back on the rise.

Harbaugh led Michigan to Michigan’s first Big Ten Championship since 2004 last season following a 42-3 victory over No. 12 Iowa. The Wolverines finished No. 3 in the final polls, its highest finish since 1997 and made their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Despite losing to eventual national champion Georgia in the Orange Bowl, the future is bright for Harbaugh in Ann Arbor.

The extension talks did not come without their fair share of scares, as Harbaugh took an NFL interview with the Minnesota Vikings on college football’s National Signing Day. Despite rumors tying him to several professional opportunities this offseason, he is now locked in long term.