Broncos interviewing Harbaugh (and Payton) this week
https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-schedule-interview-jim-harbaugh-110801008.html
Looks like the Payton thing could be a trade scenario
January 8th, 2023 at 6:53 AM ^
Sometimes I think Jim just wants to fly around, see facilities and talk football with people.
January 8th, 2023 at 6:56 AM ^
It's reportedly a virtual meeting, but yeah
January 8th, 2023 at 8:28 AM ^
To be fair, that detail was buried in the ...<checks notes> ... 9th WORD of the article you linked.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
I said last week that a Broncos beat reporter was saying the Broncos are all in on Harbaugh and want him as their coach. They feel this NCAA investigation is what is going to be the straw that breaks the camels back and get Harbaugh back to the NFL. Harbaugh is sick of the NCAA’s BS. Many broncos owners also have ties to Harbaugh in his Stanford days.
Nothing is for certain but I believe there is a good chance he goes to Denver
January 8th, 2023 at 9:24 AM ^
Then why is he going to the broncos?
January 8th, 2023 at 9:43 AM ^
Broncos interview (virtual interview speaks volumes) seems like an agent posturing considering that the Broncos & Saints are already in the process negotiating a deal for Sean Payton. The report below came out immediately after. Some might neg me for this, but the whole “transformational not transactional” talk from Harbaugh over NIL seems a bit rich when you’re holding your school hostage in order to iron out a new deal (if this really is an agent creating leverage) when you’ve already made $75M+ in your playing & coaching career. It’s getting stale.
January 8th, 2023 at 9:58 AM ^
I don't know, if he's after money, and this is all about getting a really big contract, why did he give away so much money in 2020? Makes me believe this really is about him wanting to go back to the NFL and not wanting to get a huge contract from Michigan.
January 8th, 2023 at 10:08 AM ^
I’m honestly not sure if he’s going to get the NFL job he wants. If I’m the Broncos, I’m hiring Payton and using the Harbaugh interview just as leverage to maybe only give up one 1st rounder. There was a report this morning Harbaugh persistently calling the Panthers with the Panthers not really interested.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:22 AM ^
Apparently, and I say apparently, the issue with Carolina is they aren't ready to give him full say over who is on the roster and who is picked in the draft.
It's hard to believe NFL trams don't want him. The first year he took over San Fran, a very bad team, they went to the NFC finals, and were 1 play away from getting into the Super Bowl. They went to 3 straight NFC finals and were 1 play away from very likely winning a Super Bowl.
January 8th, 2023 at 12:07 PM ^
Look we love him but Jim is a “quirky” guy and a lot of people/teams don’t want to deal with that. Plus if I could get a guy like Sean Payton who has a better NFL resume than Harbaugh, why not?
January 8th, 2023 at 1:07 PM ^
He’s an “authentic” guy and a lot of team owners and GMs can’t handle honesty and transparency
January 8th, 2023 at 2:05 PM ^
Sean Payton, the guy who paid bounties for injuring players on the other team just to win a game. “Players usually earned $1,000 for cart-offs and $1,500 for knockouts” when players couldn’t return for the game. This was from 2009 to 2011 including the year he won his only Superbowl so in theory he needed to injure other players to get his only ring.
Fans and media have a short memory. Payton deserved a lifetime ban instead of just a year.
How does the idea of ruining a guy’s career for a victory play out in today’s NFL with the Demar Hamlin situation and a more safety focused NFL (at least according to their PR)
January 8th, 2023 at 2:51 PM ^
Because if you're the Broncos, you're already down a staggering number of draft picks, so giving up even more for Payton, whom I wouldn't really call a definitively better coach than Harbaugh, seems foolish.
January 8th, 2023 at 4:17 PM ^
no one can argue his success at San Francisco. But he is going to be 60 years old. You look around the league and coaches are several years younger than he is.
The exceptions being Belichick, Reid, and Carroll, John Harbaugh. Those guys would never lose their jobs because of the legacy they've created with their teams.
any team would be hard pressed to hire Harbaugh now who is quirky, wants a ton of control, and doesn't have much of a shelf life.
I think Baumgardner might be on to something.
January 8th, 2023 at 7:07 PM ^
Dick Vermeal and his staff were not young. The same argument of needing young coaches was constantly used when talking about those Rams--until they won a Super Bowl, and had "the greatest show on turf".
Age means wisdom.... usually.
January 8th, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
Sparty Nick...not surprised.
January 8th, 2023 at 2:29 PM ^
Just looked at Nick Baumgardner’s tweets. When did Nick stop being a reporter. It’s almost as if he has an axe to grind. Did Harbaugh refuse an interview or something.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:25 PM ^
I saw another report that said Harbaugh’s camp was actively chasing an interview with Carolina. If someone isn’t that interested in hiring you, the only reason you would continue to chase an interview is if you need it as leverage. The question then becomes why does he need leverage? Is it to renegotiate his contract or to garner attention from other NFL franchises? I’m guessing it’s to renegotiate, get a huge buyout and guaranteed money. That’s based on his quotes. He’s very deliberate and saying that you never know what the future holds and he expects to be at Michigan is his way of saying that he wants to be here but he’s willing to move on if he doesn’t get what he deserves.
Maybe he wants to be the Head Coach in Denver, but I don’t think that’s the case. Pay him whatever he wants and make the buyout big enough that neither side would ever really consider parting ways. Not for at least five years.
January 8th, 2023 at 10:09 AM ^
I think he does want to win a Super Bowl...so there's that. But more to the point, IMHO, is that he wants love and respect from Michigan after his post-Covid season humiliation (strong word, I know)--drastic cut in base pay, vocal portion of fan base wanting him gone, etc.
So I don't think it's about money per se, he's never been about money (explicitly said when he was hired at Michigan that he didn't want to be the highest paid coach in the B1G), it's about the respect he feels he's earned back in the past two seasons.
Personally I think he's more than earned that, despite the inexplicable loss to TCU. Pay the man, love the man, respect the man, give him what he wants. He's a one of a kind home run fit for Michigan's football program.
January 9th, 2023 at 12:57 PM ^
This could definitely be it, if it's primarily Jim behind the wheel.
But remember that one thing that all of his assistants have been saying is how impressed they are with his willingness to delegate their area to them...
It seems probable to me that the difference is almost entirely that he has an agent now, and he's delegating negotiating tactics to the agent.
January 8th, 2023 at 10:30 AM ^
If you have been following Harbaugh at any stretch of his career, it's NEVER BEEN ABOUT THE MONEY!
January 8th, 2023 at 10:43 AM ^
I agree I feel this is more of a support issue.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:02 AM ^
With the allegations of [buying a hamburger] talking to the NFL is smart. Michigan needs to stick up for him or he's gone. Michigan has leverage with the NCAA in that if they lose their Michigan Man coach over BS they will be on the warpath to dissolve the NCAA. (I say that in light of previous MGoBlog threads talking about the B1G and SEC being super-conferences and ditching the NCAA.)
January 8th, 2023 at 3:08 PM ^
With the allegations of [buying a hamburger] talking to the NFL is smart. Michigan needs to stick up for him ...
This is a great point. They at least need to come out and support Jim as much as Jim and Michigan supported Mazi Smith.
January 8th, 2023 at 4:20 PM ^
Perfectly stated.
They do very little to exert their influence.
Not that much could have been done about it, but I remember the reprimand JH took back in 2016 when he (rightly) complained about the officiating of the game.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:05 AM ^
He once negotiated with Stanford to pay for his bathroom remodel. Of course money matters.
January 8th, 2023 at 12:52 PM ^
Its not so much the money as the respect that goes along with it. If you think Harbaugh was fine with the pay cut or is ok with the 4th or 5th highest paid coach in the Big 10, you’re being naive. He’s the ultimate competitor, in every way.
January 9th, 2023 at 6:23 AM ^
While it never is about the money, the money is a way to keep score. What you pay me defines my worth relative to my peers.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:15 AM ^
The money in his contract is a sign of respect, even if he gives a bunch of it away.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:45 AM ^
This is the answer. Regardless of how much money you have, if you’re getting paid less people you’ve proven you’re better than it typically doesn’t sit well with you.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:47 AM ^
There is a difference between being primarily motivated by money and realizing that in his profession, salaries are a measure of respect and achievement.
January 8th, 2023 at 3:28 PM ^
Exactly, anything and everything being reported is total speculation until it comes from Harbaugh.
People talking about leverage, agents, huge contracts etc know nothing about his history here. If the report he is interviewing are true (again just a bunch of snake oil salesmen selling their wares now known as CLICKS) then I for one am okay if he leaves. I cant find a single benefit to this program if he does this again after last year when he promised he was done with the NFL flirtation.
We all know Harbaugh loves attention and often I think he believes the constant NFL chatter is good for the program, I mean it cant be horrible to tell recruits that the NFL wants your HC, they are not knocking on Ryan Day, Kirby Smart etc doors but they are JH. I was okay with this the first 5-6 years but personally I am over it.
Just me.
January 8th, 2023 at 10:51 AM ^
Harbaugh ought to be the highest paid in NCAA. It is so difficult to do what he’s done at a northern cold climate college, plus he’s a hometown guy and Michigan Man. He’s one of a kind and more than worth 10-years, $125 million.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:51 AM ^
Taking a program that was 5-7 in 2014, including losses to OSU, MSU and ND (not to mention Maryland AND Rutgers)…to consecutive CFP appearances and wins over OSU, with a 25-3 record sounds pretty transformational if you ask me. If M does not, then the market will pay the man what he’s worth.
January 8th, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
If that's the case, Harbaugh should respect his own time more. He risks sabotaging his real leverage (the strength of the program) in pursuit of this nonsense leverage (being a pawn in the Broncos HC search). The agent works for him, not the other way around.
January 8th, 2023 at 6:00 PM ^
"I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023" has aged well.
January 8th, 2023 at 7:02 AM ^
The Colts seem like the best fit for him currently.
January 8th, 2023 at 7:06 AM ^
Michigan is the best fit for him. At least he as a solid QB at Michigan. He's not winning anytime soon in Denver, Indy or whatever other shitty NFL team has an opening. And he sure isn't anytime soon in the AFC with Josh Allen, Burrow and Mahomes.
January 8th, 2023 at 7:22 AM ^
I hope he likes what he's built here, too, but it's worth remembering his love of a challenge is part of what brought him here in the first place.
January 8th, 2023 at 8:24 AM ^
Even so, I think if Jim Hackett, if Michigan, hadn't made the push that he wouldn't be here. I don't think we were the first choice for him. I think we should appreciate that he made the change to come here, and understand that, whatever the reasons, he wants to go back. If he goes wish him well and thanks for the memories.
January 8th, 2023 at 9:03 AM ^
I agree, I don't think college football is his first choice. If he does feel better in the NFL he should make the move, and let everyone move on.
My only question is, if he does go back to the NFL who would he take with him? Matt Weiss? Ben Herbert? No one?
January 8th, 2023 at 9:09 AM ^
Unpopular opinion: I would fire Harbaugh now. We can't afford this every single year, and can't afford another recruiting off year when we should be elevating our appeal to top recruits. Clearly Harbaugh is interested in the league, and I don't blame him, but if I'm in charge of M enough is enough.
January 8th, 2023 at 9:15 AM ^
Agreed.
January 8th, 2023 at 9:16 AM ^
Yeah, there will be no recovering from this in recruiting. He wants to be gone, fire him for cause for misleading investigators and start your search.
January 8th, 2023 at 9:30 AM ^
You put a new contract on his desk. 8 yr $85 Mil with $20 mil buyout. You give him 10 days to sign it. If he doesn’t sign it by the expiration date, you let him go.
January 8th, 2023 at 11:08 AM ^
Agree. Big contract. Big buyout. Take it or leave it. End this. Holding M hostage just can’t be an annual thing.
January 8th, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
It's always a thing. This was supposed to end after last year. I do not like to be held hostage. Neg away, folks.
January 8th, 2023 at 9:20 AM ^
It's time for him to move on. I don't think he should be fired but hopefully he gets an NFL job so he can go where he wants to be. Because clearly this isn't it.
January 8th, 2023 at 9:27 AM ^
Because clearly this isn't it.
Yeah, that's become pretty clear.
But a big thank you for where's he's brought things to.
January 8th, 2023 at 9:33 AM ^
Anyone in the athletic department caught off guard when Harbaugh leaves should be fired. They had better know the next head coach already.