Jim Harbaugh dodgy when asked about Michigan football contract: 'Be ... where you're wanted'

Michigan football has been utterly dominant thus far in 2023, starting 6-0 with an average margin of victory of just over 30 points per game.

As the Wolverines look for their third straight College Football Playoff appearance this season, however, the cloud of Jim Harbaugh's dalliances with the NFL continues to hang over Ann Arbor. Harbaugh, who has signed new contracts with Michigan in each of the past two years (a pay cut in 2021 and a restoration of that pay cut after a wildly successful 2022), coached the 49ers from 2011 to 2014 before joining his alma mater in 2015. He has coached for the Wolverines ever since.

What Jim Harbaugh said about contract extension

It was no secret coming into the year Harbaugh and Michigan were in talks about a contract extension heading into 2023, even as NFL rumors swirled, but nothing has been made official as the season has droned on. Harbaugh was asked Monday about how open he is to a contract extension following a 52-10 win over Minnesota.

“Yeah, I mean like anybody, I’ve said it. You want to be somewhere where you’re wanted,” he told reporters. “They like what you do and how you do it, and they tell you that. Your bosses tell you that, and then that gets reflected in a contract. The bottom line … any of us, right? We want to be somewhere they like how you do it and what you do.”

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Jim Harbaugh's history with NFL jobs

Harbaugh's flirtations with the NFL included the Vikings in February 2022 and the Broncos last offseason. The Vikings would end up hiring Kevin O'Connell, whereas the Broncos traded for Sean Payton after a year in retirement and doing television. While Harbaugh admitted interest in the Vikings job, the Broncos talks were mostly centered around reporting. After Harbaugh didn't land the Vikings gig, he told Michigan his interest in the NFL had faded.

“I called [Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel] and I asked him if he wanted me to be the head coach," Harbaugh said after the Vikings window had closed in 2022, per Pro Football Talk. "And [Manuel] said ‘Yes, 100 percent.’ And I said, OK then. That’s what I want to do.’ And I told him, ‘Warde, this will not be a reoccurring theme every year. This was a one-time thing.'”

Harbaugh's dance with the Vikings came immediately after his most successful season with Michigan. From 2015 to 2020, Harbaugh went 49-22 with Michigan and was 1-4 in bowl games, not to mention 0-5 against Ohio State. In the past two seasons, Michigan is 25-3 with a pair of Big Ten titles, two College Football Playoff appearances, and two wins over the Buckeyes. While the next step is to win a playoff game, Harbaugh has still taken the program to greater heights than it has seen in the CFP era.

It shouldn't be surprising, therefore, that Harbaugh isn't giving up leverage during these midseason contract questions. Regardless of how he feels about his coaching future, if NFL jobs open up in places such as Chicago (where Harbaugh played in the NFL), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or even New England, his name is sure to crop up with speculation once again.

Jim Harbaugh Michigan contract

Harbaugh is still very much under contract with the Wolverines. The issue at play isn't tenure, it's money.

The coach's value has increased substantially in the past two seasons, and he is currently in the second of a five-year deal. The current contract, set to expire after 2026, pays Harbaugh $7.3 million per year. That puts him at third in the Big Ten (he was fourth before the firing of Mel Tucker at Michigan State), behind Ryan Day and James Franklin. Day and Franklin make $7.6 million and $7.5 million at Ohio State and Penn State, respectively. Harbaugh is 4-0 against Penn State and Ohio State in the past two seasons.

When Harbaugh and Michigan announced he would be returning in 2023, putting to bed any NFL rumors at the time, Harbaugh took his usual "For the Blue" tone.

"I love the relationships that I have at Michigan — coaches, staff, families, administration, President Santa Ono and especially the players and their families," his statement said. "My heart is at the University of Michigan. I once heard a wise man say, 'Don't try to out-happy, happy.' Go Blue!"

Harbaugh, of course, did miss the first three games this season due to a university-imposed suspension regarding a myriad of Level II infractions and the Level I infraction of misleading NCAA investigators. While another suspension may be pending from the NCAA as a result of those infractions, it doesn't seem to be an issue at-hand during the negotiations.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jim Harbaugh contract extension: Michigan coach gives dodgy answer