From the Rose Bowl to the Super Bowl, San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has practically done it all during his eight years as Stanford and San Francisco’s head coach. Now, reports say, that Harbaugh will return to the collegiate ranks where he has been lured into leading the Michigan Wolverines. The courting of Harbaugh has taken many twists in turns over the past couple of days, but Saturday, a new report broke stated that Harbaugh is likely to accept Michigan’s 6- year $48 million contract. After a disappointing 2014 campaign and a falling out with management, Harbaugh’s days in San Francisco appeared to be numbered and the struggling Wolverines program used a rich contract and strong history to bait the former Cardinals head coach.
Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole broke the news that two San Francisco staff members have been informed of Harbaugh’s intentions, but neither Harbaugh nor his agent David Dunn have commented on the accusations of his departure. Still if an agreement is reached, it would seem appropriate that Harbaugh could be announced as the next head coach on Tuesday during a dinner reception for some of the University’s most faithful donors. The 49ers season draws to a close today and it would appear to perfect timing for the two sides to make the deal official.
Currently, Harbaugh is in the midst of a 5-year, $25 million contract lasting through next season and the 49ers would be happy to unload some of the extra money from his deal. In remains to be seen which direction Michigan would go if they are unable to lock up Harbaugh, but Harbaugh’s alma matter is a perfect fit.
*Section Photo credit to Christian Petersen, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Kirby Lee, USA Today Sports.
