Columnist suggests Indianapolis should give Jim Harbaugh an offer he can't refuse
Jim Harbaugh reaffirmed his commitment to the University of Michigan on Sunday. That won't stop NFL franchises from doing their darndest to bring him back into the league's fold.
One prominent Indianapolis reporter, Bob Kravitz, says that team needs to be the Colts. (h/t The Athletic)
Michigan (13-0) will play TCU (12-1) in the College Football Playoff at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. The Wolverines are 25-2 over the past two seasons.
Indianapolis (4-8-1) will not be making the playoffs. The Colts were humiliated in primetime, 54-19, against the Dallas Cowboys. Jeff Saturday should be back on "Get Up" this time next year, and Kravitz believes Harbaugh, an ex-Colts QB, is the man to turn the downtrodden franchise around.
Harbaugh was candid this past offseason in revealing his dalliance with the Minnesota Vikings during their head coaching search. He didn't get the job, and some believe he and upper management in the NFL mix as well as oil does with water. Why else would a San Francisco 49ers team 44-19-1 with Harbaugh as coach decide to cut ties?
The risk of ruffling a few feathers shouldn't be a deal breaker for any franchise and it would be irresponsible for the Colts to not at the very least kick the tires on a possible reunion with Harbaugh.
A move to the NFL doesn't appear likely. Even before Harbaugh reiterated his desire to stay at Ann Arbor in 2023, he told Michigan's athletic director an NFL courtship wouldn't be a yearly occurrence.
As good as Harbaugh was with the 49ers, and as close as he was to a Super Bowl, he's building something special at Michigan. The program became just the sixth in the CFP era (Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State) to make the playoff in consecutive seasons. He's brought Michigan back to a place of national relevance and ditching that for a rebuild at the NFL level might not be attractive.
Teams would be wise to try to coax Harbaugh away from the cozy confines he's built for himself at Michigan. We should take him for his word, however, before thinking he's back on the market. Plus, he already told us what he'd be doing if he wasn't a coach.
"Probably be a lawns-man," said Harbaugh.
Perhaps Colts owner Jim Irsay can get him to tend to the field before and after their games.
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