Freep: Harbaugh waiting to see if NFL teams make offers
According to the Free Press, Harbaugh is waiting to see if the Jets or Chargers make an offer before signing a multi-year extension with Michigan.
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:18 PM ^
Warde Manuel has eight million reasons to tolerate it.
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:10 PM ^
This confirms to me he is gone.
Now I shift to wondering who Warde has up his sleeve.... Meyer, Hafley, Campbell, an unknown maybe..
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:22 PM ^
I know you’re being sarcastic but it’s a scary proposition to think that Jim H may very well be Warde’s first and only plan.
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:49 PM ^
And Venables (though never a realistic shot) just got exposed versus tOSU.
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:07 PM ^
Not being sarcastic at all. I believe he leaves to coach the Chargers, or the Lions.
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:11 PM ^
Yeah, the offers have to start piling up any second now...any second now.
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:18 PM ^
I read all of your posts in a Christopher Walken voice.
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:28 PM ^
Funny, I read all yours in a combo muppets/BG’s voice.
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:34 PM ^
LOL
When you're in love with a beautiful woman, she can tell you that Gandhi ate hot dogs and you'll believe her
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:29 PM ^
Very confusing
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:36 PM ^
I say there is almost a zero % chance of this being true and if it was I give it a negative % chance Harbaugh or his people leaked it. He has all the connections to do this through the channels.
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:38 PM ^
Wouldn't it be great if Urbz was entertaining NFL teams to help keep Harbaugh at UM before laughing them off for a raise from Fox?
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:41 PM ^
For the love of god go please!
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:45 PM ^
Please live Jim. Please leave. Stop pillaging our beloved university. Go to the Jets or Chargers. Please.
January 2nd, 2021 at 9:59 PM ^
I would like to live in the la la world some people here live in. This is big business. Harbaugh is not going to screw the university, but he’s not going to screw himself either. Also for the all the talk about him not having an agent, he does have an attorney working on these issues and he is a high priced and good one too:
https://www.weil.com/people/jeffrey-klein
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:19 PM ^
You realize every athlete/coach has an attorney to oversee the legality of contracts and advise them right? It’s separate from the duties of an agent
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:31 PM ^
Thank you for saying this. The whole I-don't-have-an-agent thing is a bullshit smokescreen. Many big-shots, including Harbaugh, skip agents and let their lawyer handle business.
January 2nd, 2021 at 11:12 PM ^
Hello, employment attorney here, who negotiates employment agreements on behalf of individuals and for entities hiring high-level, high-priced C-Suite level folks. What are you even saying? Legality? It’s an employment agreement. As long as the contract doesn’t call for Harbaugh to slaughter players and bury their bodies under Michigan Stadium, it’s “legal.” I can promise you his attorney is negotiating the details. He has marching orders from Harbaugh about the basic parameters and what his must haves are. He’s not sending this to the guy asking him to spend an hour on it to spot check it.
January 3rd, 2021 at 2:49 PM ^
By “oversee the legality of it,” I’m referring to putting Harbaugh’s terms and conditions in legal contract form and breaking down the UM terms. He’s not negotiating the contract like an agent does. Jim does that.
As an employment attorney, I’m sure you would recommend to your clients that they have a lawyer present when negotiating any contract, especially a multi-million dollar contract with terms and conditions. Duh, that’s your job. What you’re missing is the role of an agent and how it’s vastly different from what an agent does.
As I’m also sure you’re aware there is quite a bit of legal jargon that goes into a contract, and it would benefit the client to have a lawyer there to clear up any loose ends or loopholes. Regardless of whether or not he has an agent.
Pretty much all athletes and coaches in major sports have a lawyer and an agent present for contract negotiations and signings. It’s the norm. Harbaugh just simply doesn’t have an agent. And the duties of an agent and a lawyer in contract negotiations are night/day different.
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:14 PM ^
Well, duh?
Lets not pretend that this wouldn’t be a win-win for all Involved. Harbaugh and Michigan both get the charge of fresh air they need.
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:20 PM ^
The framing of the article clearly suggests that the source, or sources, are prominent U of M brass -- probably either the athletic department or key regents. Certainly not from Harbaugh's camp. Sounds like U of M wants it known that they're not the ones holding up the deal, and that Harbaugh has been holding out.
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:35 PM ^
Lol. Funny you say this. Tonight, just a bit ago, Bacon (seems to be tight with Harbaugh, more his corner in his reporting) say yes a deal on table for 6 yr extension. Lower buyout for all. Waiting on some NFL options to play out. (Like Freep story). Wow. This is a crazy back and forth. Rumors will go away soon and the truth will come out over next 3-4 days.
Please Jets, Chargers, or Lions make Harbaugh an offer. I think those are the 3 realistic options.
January 2nd, 2021 at 10:53 PM ^
I love people who say Manuel needs to make a decision. He has 1 million a year reasons not to make one.
He sticks with Harbaugh another year.. That's another year he won't get fired at the back end. 2 years another 2.
You fire Harbaugh now. Congrats you've attached your wagon to Campbell or whomever else. He fails, you're gone. You give Harbaugh 1 year or two and then you can fire him and hire your next coach.. You've prolonged your tenure by that timeframe.
Otherwise if you get another job, you are back to making 200k a year at Buffalo or whatever.
Now we can argue why a AD gets 1 million a year ? He better be a fantastic instigation of donations. Otherwise he's just a person making a million a year overseeing a department of 400 employees. And making football schedules 15 years in advance that will never happen
January 2nd, 2021 at 11:56 PM ^
Just do not envision Schissel firing Warde Manual because the HC is under-performing (whether Harbaugh or Campbell).
ADs get fired if there are sanctions or some sort of scandal they should have been on top of and/or have failed to manage well (MSU), or if the donors and alumni get irritated with him (Dave Brandon).
If the football coach is under-performing, the football coach gets fired, not the AD.
Or at least I cannot really see how Warde Manuel is any more or less likely to get fired because Campbell under-performs versus Harbaugh under-performs. He either hired or extended the under-performing coach. His his exposure would be the same.
January 2nd, 2021 at 11:28 PM ^
According to both the News, the Freep and Dan Wetzel, Harbaugh has had an extension offer in front of him since mid-December. The NFL regular season ends tomorrow. Given that an announcement appears to be coming early next week, the timing strongly suggests he has indeed been waiting to see what the NFL holds.
January 2nd, 2021 at 11:45 PM ^
I mean I doubt the free press has an actual scoop here and is not just flinging crap on the wall but the take that he is waiting for NFL offers makes sense. What doesn't make sense is the take he would have any hand in leaking any info that could be seen as an insult to UM.
Honestly I really hope he does take an NFL job. I do think it is the best interest of all parties at this point. Fresh start would do Jim alot of good I think.
January 3rd, 2021 at 3:25 AM ^
If Harbaugh did sign a contract, it would be announced by now. I think he is holding out on signing to see what his NFL options are. If the right NFL team offers, I think Harbaugh will leave. If the team of his choice does not offer he will sign the UM contract. Like I said earlier it is 50/50. May be the Chargers offer or may be they don't. It felt like Harbaugh was building a Titanic program in 2016 but then the weakness of the past OL recruiting set him back in 2017. He could never recover from this set back and weak recruiting on the defense lead to even more destruction of the program. I have my doubts if Harbaugh wants to come back to our mess of a program. It may take 3 or 4 years to get back to that 2016 level. If he does come back, I hope he comes back the the enthusiasm he had in 2015 and 2016.
January 3rd, 2021 at 8:52 AM ^
Total BS. Jim has not talked to any NFL team or any reporter on this matter. Unless Freep can read minds, this is nothing but clickbait. Jim is on vacation in CA. The 6-year deal is all but done. It will be announced this week.
On the DC front, expect an NFL position coach to join the team. If the details cannot be worked out, Mason is the man.
January 3rd, 2021 at 10:53 AM ^
John Bacon confirmed it. That’s basically Harbaugh’s guy in reporting.
January 3rd, 2021 at 9:12 AM ^
makes sense, don't blame him.
January 3rd, 2021 at 10:03 AM ^
Please,make an offer. Please,accept the offer. Good bye. Good luck.
January 3rd, 2021 at 10:29 AM ^
Nah, it's just some journalist/troll who was told to write something, anything, to sell some ads for the declining FREEP.
Like it or not, Jim is staying on and going to remake the coaching staff, primarily on the D side of the equation.
January 3rd, 2021 at 12:32 PM ^
A lot of fans finding out quick that Jim Harbaugh only cares about Jim Harbaugh.
January 3rd, 2021 at 12:56 PM ^
Jay Glazer is reporting Chargers will part ways with Lynn after season. If true, this would be huge for us wanting Harbaugh gone! think Chargers are the one spot (plus Jets) you watch closely. Read a few spots people thought Lynn might save job due to some wins to end the season. Oh boy!
January 3rd, 2021 at 3:14 PM ^
Well maybe Warde knows he can't afford to fire him with the budget situation and also knows that JH still probably has a lot of fans in the Athletic Department and Board of Regents.
And the teams need to go through the full process per the Rooney Rule so I can't see either team offering him a contract before two more weeks, in which case he will stay. We can hope that Spielman wants him so bad that he steers the Ford Family to bring in JH.
If nothing else, I hope Warde can let him know that what happened this year left JH with one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. Just reading the comments from other B10 fans who are more than happy that he may be staying should be a final warning to Warde to get the right HC on the phone either now or after next year's OSU beatdown.
January 3rd, 2021 at 3:19 PM ^
Absolutely.
If he wasn't hoping for an NFL offer, he would have re-signed last month.
Leaving no doubt with recruits, and just as or more importantly, filling the staff openings before other schools hire all the good ones.
It's really not hard to see the reality of this situation.
Go Blue.
January 3rd, 2021 at 3:22 PM ^
As far as JH and NFL, if he's learned one thing - it's that the GM and front office matter. He got Tomsula'ed out of SF. His contacts in the NFL can tell him who's the best front office to work for. He's not under big pressure at LAC since the Rams own the town. That and his California wife would be a lot more happy. I don't think this is just about money. Power, admiration, freedom. He had all three when he arrived but lost the fan support in two stages (1st embarrassing losses to OSU, and then this completely horrid year).
Taking over Herbert if LAC want him would be the best for all of us.
January 3rd, 2021 at 5:27 PM ^
Have either Chargers or Jets offered yet? Time is a wasting away.