Harbaugh's Annual NFL Flirtation Appears Over

After a month of speculation regarding his future at the University of Michigan, it appears that Jim Harbaugh's annual flirtation with the NFL is officially over.

Although Harbaugh has issued multiple statements over the last month about his intention to remain at Michigan for 2023 and beyond, those statements have come up far short of being forceful and definitive. Instead, the veteran head coach would throw in phrases such as, "no man knows the future", or "I expect that I will be" coaching Michigan in 2023. Every statement issued by Harbaugh left the door open to the possibility that he may (or may not) be coaching Michigan in 2023 - leading to weeks of speculation by fans and media.

The latest round of speculation came from a report issued by NFL insider Adam Schefter, indicating that Harbaugh had met with Broncos owner Greg Penner in Ann Arbor within the last week.

Broncos owner Greg Penner and University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh met last week in Ann Arbor to discuss Denver's head coaching position without any deal materializing, league sources told ESPN.https://t.co/UD6sevUASR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 29, 2023

Although the meeting took place, Harbaugh reportedly reaffirmed his commitment to remaining at the University of Michigan, leaving Penner to depart Ann Arbor without a deal in place for a new head coach.

Even so, the fact that the meeting took place left a bad taste in the mouths of some fans - particularly after both Harbaugh and University of Michigan President Santa Ono indicated that Harbaugh would be staying at Michigan just days earlier. Why continue to meet with NFL owners if you have no interest in taking an NFL job? Nobody can really say for sure, but the optics aren't great if you're trying to squash NFL rumors.

Nevertheless, it looks like the Denver Broncos have found their next head coach, and an official announcement is expected within the coming days.

Breaking: Saints and Broncos are finalizing compensation in return for Super Bowl-winning HC Sean Payton, sources tell ESPN. This clears the way for Payton to sign with the Broncos to become Denver’s next head coach.

And so Payton is expected to head to Denver as its next HC. pic.twitter.com/HA4RAtE6P8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2023

For Michigan, the focus now turns to a new contract extension that will likely make Harbaugh the highest-paid head football coach in the Big Ten Conference - and deservedly so. Over the last two seasons, Harbaugh has led the Wolverines to back-to-back wins over Ohio State, back-to-back Big Ten Championships, and two consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff.

Though it seems like it should be a simple and relatively quick process, the contract negotiations are reportedly being stalled by a potential punishment from the NCAA relating to a handful of recruiting violations from 2020. Earlier this month, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported that the NCAA had prepared a draft of a notice of allegations that included a Level I violation against Jim Harbaugh for not complying with NCAA investigators, as well as four other Level II violations.

It remains to be seen what the impact will be from the apparent violations, but it's does seem to be playing a factor in slowing the progress for Michigan to finalize a new deal with Harbaugh.

Regardless of what ends up happening with the NCAA, Michigan fans can at least breathe a sigh of relief now that the annual Harbaugh/NFL rumors are over...for now.