Jim Harbaugh addresses rumors of leaving Michigan for NFL

Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh addressed the rumors of him leaving the Wolverines for the NFL by cracking a joke about last year.

There are seven head coaching job opening in the NFL at the moment and Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh could be a candidate for any of them if you believe the rumors.

The former 49ers head coach is a hot name on the market after leading the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff.

What does he have to say about all the talk?

Jim Harbaugh addressed rumors of leaving Michigan for the NFL

“It’s a little more enjoyable this year compared to the rumors last year,” Harbaugh said ahead of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award ceremony for coach of the year.

It’s definitely more fun to be talked about as a candidate for other lucrative positions than to have rumors swirl around potentially being fired, which is what Harbaugh dealt with last year.

Michigan opted to bring Harbaugh back under a restructured contract and it paid off for all involved as he had his best season to date with the Wolverines.

The downside of having a successful coach is the suitors that inevitably come calling. So Michigan fans are naturally holding their breath right now.

Harbaugh’s answer was clever, but it won’t assuage any of the fears over him heading back to the NFL.

After building Stanford from a doormat into a Pac-12 contender, Harbaugh took over as head coach for the 49ers in 2011. He led them to a Super Bowl appearance in his second season but his tenure soured quickly. He and San Francisco officially agreed to part ways at the end of 2014. Days later he took the head coaching spot at Michigan.

Now it’s a waiting game to see if a franchise will entice him back to the pros or if his loyalty to Michigan will win out.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.