Michigan more likely to extend Jim Harbaugh than fire him
By John Buhler
A two-win 2020 season might actually get Jim Harbaugh an extension with Michigan football.
As odd as it sounds, Jim Harbaugh is more likely to sign an extension than get fired.
The Michigan Wolverines had their Week 14 vs. the Maryland Terrapins canceled due to COVID-19. While the Wolverines may not have a single home victory to show for the 2020 campaign, there is a better chance Harbaugh not only returns for the seventh season in Ann Arbor but gets an extension rather than the University of Michigan terminating its former starting quarterback.
A limited NFL market is the biggest reason he will stay at Michigan in 2021
Harbaugh notoriously never sticks anywhere for very long. Whether it was at San Diego, Stanford or in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh never spent more than half a decade in a place prior to being hired by Michigan in 2015. His intense coaching style may wear players and athletic administrators out, but Ann Arbor is home for him. He is also due for a new contract.
Harbaugh signed a seven-year deal worth $52.1 million when he was hired in the final days of 2014. 2020 is year six of the Harbaugh era in Ann Arbor. Though two wins feel likely, depending on who the Wolverines match up with in their competitive balance game in a few weeks, it should not merit Harbaugh getting an extension, but here we are. Here is why it is very likely to happen.
Harbaugh is not going to leave Michigan for another college job. Why would he leave a blue-blood post that also happens to be at his alma mater? Not even the Texas or USC jobs should entice his family to relocate to other parts of the country. As for the NFL, the Chicago Bears or the Detroit Lions could be intriguing, but he may be better served to wait for his triumphant return to the NFL.
Michigan, and Harbaugh, will not want him to be coaching in the final year of his seven-year contract in 2021. That is a rumor mill nightmare neither party will want to take part in. So if Michigan and Harbaugh’s representation agree to a three or four-year extension with a manageable buyout, it would serve both parties should either one of them want to get out of it.
Should Harbaugh get an extension this offseason after a two-win campaign, do not be surprised.
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