Jim Harbaugh seeks Michigan contract extension to make for-cause firing harder | Report
As Jim Harbaugh weighs his coaching future, the option of spurning the NFL and remaining with Michigan football lingers as a possibility.
If he opts to do so, it could come with a contract unlike many, if any, in college football history.
One week after leading his alma mater to its first national championship since 1997, the Wolverines’ coach is engaged with university leadership in talks regarding a contract extension, with Harbaugh angling for a clause that would “grant him immunity from termination from any finding or sanction” from either of the NCAA investigations the program currently faces, according to a report Tuesday from Yahoo Sports.
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Should a situation arise in which Harbaugh could be fired for cause, that decision would rest with a three-member arbitration panel, not U-M athletic director Warde Manuel, according to the report.
Additionally, Harbaugh is seeking for the start of the new contract to be delayed until Feb. 15 in order for there to be a lower buyout that NFL teams would have to pay Michigan, should he decide to return to the professional ranks (where he previously spent 2011-14 as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers). Under the terms of Harbaugh’s current deal, his buyout dropped from $2.25 million to $1.5 million on Jan. 11 and, according to the report, he wants to push his new contract start back to mid-February to wait for the current NFL coaching hiring cycle to finish. Harbaugh interviewed Monday for the San Diego Chargers' open head coach position.
In its report, Yahoo noted that Michigan has already offered Harbaugh a six-year contract worth $11.5 million annually, which would make him the highest-paid coach in college football.
The unusually coach-friendly job protections Harbaugh desires come as Michigan has come under fire from the NCAA for two separate transgressions.
The first case revolves around alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period in 2020 and 2021, with the NCAA citing Michigan for four Level II violations in a notice of allegations the school received in December. In that notice, Harbaugh faces a Level I violation for allegedly not cooperating with or misleading NCAA investigators.
Last October, it was revealed that the Wolverines were the subject of an NCAA investigation for an alleged in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation involving former staffer Connor Stalions. Harbaugh has said he had no knowledge of the alleged actions.
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Harbaugh was suspended for the first three games of the 2023 regular season by the university for the recruiting violations and was suspended the final three games of the regular season by the Big Ten in response to the sign-stealing probe.
As both investigations continue, Harbaugh could face further disciplinary action, be it from the NCAA, the Big Ten or Michigan itself.
Harbaugh has gone 89-25 in nine seasons at Michigan, a run that includes three Big Ten championships, three College Football Playoff appearances and, most recently, a national championship. Over the past three seasons, the Wolverines are 40-3.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jim Harbaugh Michigan contract extension to have for-cause firing clause
