Colts' Odds of Landing Certain Top Head Coach Candidate Slipping?

The Indianapolis Colts are casting a wide net in the search for their next head coach. They've announced a handful of the interviews that they've conducted so far but we're also not going to hear about everyone they're interested in.

One of the main characters in this saga for the last several weeks has been Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh; the former Colts quarterback and San Francisco 49ers head coach.

The interest between him and the Colts has only been rumored to this point, never substantiated by either side. Still, it would be surprising if the Colts haven't checked in.

With that said, sports bettors are now getting the feeling that Harbaugh might stay put at his alma mater, listing the odds of his 2023 team:

Michigan: -140 | 58.3%
Indianapolis Colts: +300 | 25%
Denver Broncos: +400 | 20%
Carolina Panthers: +1200 | 7.7%
Arizona Cardinals: +2000 | 4.8%
Other CFB Team: +2000 | 4.8%
Houston Texans: +2500 | 3.8%

"Could Jim Harbaugh be using the NFL as a threat to get a raise at Michigan? It’s certainly possible," stated Kyle Newman of OddsChecker. "Do the books believe that Harbaugh simply doesn’t want to work in the NFL again?

"His stint in the league with the 49ers didn’t end well and it’s very possible that it left a bad enough taste in his mouth that he’d never want to return. There’s also the very real chance that Harbaugh is simply looking at all his options and he'll make the best choice for him and his family this offseason whether that means a return to the NFL or not.

"For now," Newman concluded, "the books aren’t going to believe that Harbaugh leaves Michigan until he actually does it."

Harbaugh — who is in the Colts' Ring of Honor and known as "Captain Comeback" locally for his heroics with the Colts in the 1990s — is currently in good standing in his role as Michigan head coach, coming off of an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

However, Harbaugh returning to the Colts wouldn't just be a feel-good story. He is a legitimately established head coach known for turning teams around. He did it in college with San Diego, Stanford, and Michigan, and in the NFL with the 49ers.

With an overall head coaching record of 172-64-1 (9-9 in the postseason), he's won four conference championships as a college coach, was the NFL Coach of the Year (2011), AP College Football Coach of the Year (2021), the Big Ten Coach of the Year (2022), and took his 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012.

So far, the Colts have announced interviews with Colts special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Shane Steichen.

We'll see if anything further develops between the Colts and Harbaugh.

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