Jim Harbaugh said he expects to return to Michigan next season, but he left the door cracked open for a return to the NFL.
“While no one knows what the future holds, I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023,” said Harbaugh in a statement released by the school.
He could have offered a firmer statement, wholly denouncing the idea of pursuing an NFL job. Instead, he leaves uncertainty.
The Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers reportedly have interest in Harbaugh. His old NFL team, Indianapolis, where Harbaugh played from 1994-97, also needs a permanent head coach.
Per ESPN’s David Newton, Harbaugh discussed the Panthers opening with owner David Tepper this week. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported Jan. 1 that the Broncos “reached out” to Harbaugh in regard to the organization’s interest in interviewing him.
Harbaugh’s led Michigan to back-to-back College Football Playoff berths and has as much unfinished business in bringing a championship to Ann Arbor as he does at the NFL level.
Harbaugh led the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014. He has a career record of 44-19-1. He reached Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013, only to lose in a heartbreaker to his brother, John Harbaugh, and the Baltimore Ravens, 34-31.
Last offseason, it was widely reported that Harbaugh and Minnesota Vikings officials were in discussions about him becoming the team’s new head coach. Those conversations deteriorated, and he returned to Michigan.
At the time, he told Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, “This will not be a reoccurring theme every year. This was a one-time thing.”
That doesn’t appear to be the truth. Michigan officials can only hope his statement released Thursday means something more.
