Report: Jim Harbaugh to NFL a ‘done deal’ if he gets an offer

Tuesday update: According to David Newton, Panthers owner David Tepper had a conversation with Harbaugh about the head coaching vacancy. Although this wasn’t a formal interview according to Newton’s sources, there’s clearly some traction here. The Panthers have already gone with a former college coach in Matt Rhule and it didn’t work out but Harbaugh does have some previous NFL experience which Rhule did not have.

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh brought his team to their second College Football Playoff semifinal in two years this week. A close loss to TCU ended the Wolverines’ season, but an undefeated regular season, a win over Ohio State, and a Big Ten Championship are quite the accomplishments.

However, this era at Michigan may be coming to an end, as Harbaugh is reportedly open to leaving the NCAA if an NFL franchise offered him a head coaching job.

Per Nicole Auerbach at The Athletic, sources close to Harbaugh said that he would leave Michigan if he received an offer from the pros. The Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts are both on a coaching search right now, and more teams could be added to that list as the season wraps up.

Harbaugh interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings last season, but didn’t receive an offer, despite reportedly being confident that he was essentially a lock for the position. He told the press and the school that he was done seeking out NFL jobs, telling the Michigan athletic director, “this will not be a reoccurring theme every year. This was a one-time thing.”

Harbaugh was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, and has been with Michigan since 2015.