You almost knew something like this was coming, right?
Pro Football Talk and NBC Sports’ Mike Florio reported on Sunday’s “Football Night in America” pregame show that the Denver Broncos reached out to Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh to ask him about the recent head coaching vacancy. Reported interest.
Harbaugh, 59, is nearing the end of two of the best years in modern Michigan football history. The Wolverines have won his last two Big Ten championships and have appeared in his last two College Football playoffs. UM went 51-45 in Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl where he lost to TCU.
After a 12-2 record last season, Harbaugh interviewed the Minnesota Vikings and visited the team for an in-person interview on National Sign Day in February. The Vikings decided not to offer the head coaching job, and Harbaugh subsequently professed to commit to winning a national title at his alma mater.
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After cheating elsewhere, Harbaugh signed a new contract for the second consecutive offseason. He’s made about $8.34 million over his next four seasons and currently has a $3 million buyout if he moves to the NFL. He made $10 million in salary and bonuses this season.
Last week, the Broncos sacked Nathaniel Hackett after just 15 games. The Broncos lost to Kansas City on Sunday and he’s 4-12 this season.
Denver made perhaps its biggest move of the offseason by trading quarterback Russell Wilson. Under new ownership, the team signed the quarterback, now 34, to a five-year, $245 million contract before the season began. It’s gone down significantly this season.
Wilson’s reputation was built with the Seahawks, where he was a Super Bowl contender QB shortly after his rookie season. These early fights in Wilson’s career came against his 49ers at Harbaugh in the NFC South.
Harbaugh went 44-19-1 in his four seasons in San Francisco. In his eight years as head coach of Michigan, the former UM QB he’s 74-25.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan Football’s Jim Harbaugh has been approached with a job offer by the Denver Broncos.