Jim Harbaugh puts the screws to Michigan with latest contract demands
As he interviews for a potential head-coaching job in the NFL, Jim Harbaugh is still negotiating a potential contract extension with the University of Michigan.
Despite the school’s previous 10-year, $125 million contract offer, which would make him the highest-paid coach in college football, Harbaugh still wants more concessions from Michigan in any new contract offer, according to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports.
“Harbaugh is seeking language that would grant him immunity from termination from any finding or sanction that could arise from multiple current NCAA investigations into the football program,” Wetzel wrote. “Harbaugh is also seeking a delay in the start date of the new contract to maintain a lower buyout that NFL teams would have to pay Michigan to hire him away.”
Michigan wants to increase Harbaugh’s buyout number to $4M; however, he wants to keep it at his current buyout, which is $1.5M, through Feb. 15 (when the NFL coaching cycle is expected to end).
After leading Michigan to its first national championship since 1997, Harbaugh has expressed interest in returning to the NFL. He interviewed for the Los Angeles Chargers head-coaching vacancy on Monday, and several other teams have expressed interest in speaking with him.
The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for three games at the end of the regular season for his involvement in the school’s sign-stealing scandal.
While the university is still under NCAA investigation for the incident and Harbaugh could face additional penalties as a result, the 60-year-old coach wants immunity from being fired pending the result of that case and the Level I violations from earlier in the year in which he allegedly wasn’t truthful with NCAA investigators about committing Level II violations during the pandemic.
Per Yahoo Sports, if there is a “for cause” reason to fire Harbaugh for any future NCAA violations, the decision would be made by a three-person arbitration panel instead of Michigan’s athletic director, Warde Manuel.
The added contract language doesn’t, however, save Harbaugh from being fired for any performance-related reasons.
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