Despite his denials, expect NFL teams to circle Jim Harbaugh this offseason

The last time the lights went out on Jim Harbaugh in the NFL, his team nearly won a Super Bowl. Some expect Harbaugh to try to flip the switch back on his NFL career this offseason.

It's no secret that if Harbaugh had his way, he'd be coaching the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings right now and not the 12-0 Michigan Wolverines. A rumored deal between the two parties never materialized and the team landed on Kevin O'Connell as its head coach.

In February 2022, Harbaugh addressed the flirtation with Minnesota candidly with Detroit Free Press reporter Mitch Albom:

There was some tugging at me that I was once that close to a Super Bowl and I didn't get it. Some NFL jobs came open. I was contacted by the Vikings. For better or for worse, it was something I wanted to explore. I went in thinking, "I'm gonna have 100 percent conviction on this, and if they have 100 percent conviction, then it's something I'm gonna do." (h/t Pro Football Talk)

Harbaugh went on to relay a conversation he had with Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel in which he assured Manuel, "This will not be a reoccurring theme every year. This was a one-time thing."

Harbaugh coached from 2011-14 in San Francisco, leading the team to three playoff appearances, five playoff wins and a Super Bowl appearance against his brother John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 season. The 49ers lost 34-31 after a furious rally came up short following a blackout in the Super Dome during the third quarter.

He finished his tenure as 49ers head coach with a record of 44-19-1 (.695).

The relationship between Harbaugh and the front office soured and Harbaugh made the move to Michigan. After a couple of tumultuous years, Harbaugh is 24-2 during the past two seasons. Michigan is in the midst of its first 12-0 season since its last national championship season in 1998. 

In eight seasons as Wolverines coach, Harbaugh is 73-24 (.753).

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, there's an expectation that front offices around the league will vet Harbaugh for a potential return to the pro level this offseason despite Harbaugh's claims to be all-in at Michigan for the foreseeable future.

Two teams -- the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts -- will need a new head coach after in-season firings, and there are plenty of other teams that have underperformed and may want to make a move.

PFT mentioned the Browns, Broncos, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers, Saints and Texans as potentially interested. 

Four of those teams -- the Broncos (3-8), Buccaneers (5-6), Saints (4-8) and Texans (1-9-1) -- hired new coaches this past offseason. Nathaniel Hackett, Todd Bowles, Dennis Allen and Lovie Smith have all done a poor job of maximizing the talent on the rosters. 

Smith, to be fair, doesn't have as much to work with in Houston as the other three coaches do, but that hasn't stopped teams from moving on from coaches before.

The Cardinals (4-8) extended coach Kliff Kingsbury through 2027 this past offseason while the Chargers' Brandon Staley (6-5) may be able to help lead his team to the postseason.

Depending on how the Kevin Stefanski-Deshaun Watson partnership plays out, it remains to be seen whether the Browns (4-7) would consider a move. 

Per The Athletic's Mike Sando, the Colts (4-7-1) are the likeliest team to emerge as a landing spot for Harbaugh if he reneges on his pledge to Michigan.

"Harbaugh helped them to an AFC title game as their quarterback," writes Sando. There is one potential hang-up on the Colts pursuing Harbaugh. Sando points out Harbaugh's demeanor, described as "blustery," runs directly oppositional to the type of coach owner Jim Irsay routinely seeks.

Sando writes, "No one would mistake Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, Chuck Pagano, or Frank Reich for... Harbaugh. But desperate times could call for desperate measures."

Money won't be any concern as any team buying Harbaugh out of his current contract would only owe Michigan $3 million. (h/t The Athletic)

That's a small price to pay for a coach with Harbaugh's pedigree. Teams can't afford to keep him off their shortlists.