Michigan football wants to sign Jim Harbaugh to extension; ball is in coach's court

The decision on whether Jim Harbaugh will be inked to a contract extension as the Michigan football coach rests solely on one man — Jim Harbaugh.

That decision could come as soon as Monday or be stretched out, but the university expects a decision this week.

A multi-year contract extension has been offered to Harbaugh, but as of Saturday evening, no extension has been signed, people close to the situation told the Free Press. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't cleared to talk to the media about the discussions.

The deal, which was initially offered as a three-year extension, would kick in on Jan. 11. That's the day each year of Harbaugh's contract has started since he was hired in 2014.

Other media reports say the extension offered was for five years. Harbaugh has one year left on his contract.

Harbaugh hasn't signed it yet because he's waiting to see if any NFL teams have interest in him as a head coach.

The answer to that question could come quickly.

The NFL regular season wraps up Sunday, and Monday is when head coaches around the league are let go.

There are several openings already in the NFL, including with the Detroit Lions, but Harbaugh is said to have interest in the New York Jets. Adam Gase, the Jets head coach who has won just two games this season, will reportedly be fired after Sunday's finale.

Harbaugh is also said to be interested in the Los Angeles Chargers job, should it come open. Anthony Lynn, the Chargers head coach, is 32-31 in four seasons entering Sunday.

Harbaugh's coaching résumé is filled with previous stops at college and professional coaching jobs in California, including four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, whom he led to the Super Bowl during the 2012 season.

If Harbaugh doesn't draw interest from those teams, then he is expected to re-sign with Michigan. 

No one truly knows what Harbaugh is planning to do — he is known for keeping his decision making process close to his own vest.

What is known is he has an offer from Michigan to keep coaching there. Athletics director Warde Manuel has made the extension offer and has no plans to fire Harbaugh this year, multiple people told the Free Press. The university's leaders have left the decision to Manuel. None is advocating for Harbaugh to be brought back, but none would block Manuel if he decided Harbaugh should be let go.

The team had a 2-4 record this season and was upset by Michigan State, beaten by Indiana for the first time in 33 years and suffered the most lopsided home defeat since 1935 during an ugly affair against Wisconsin. The team did not play its traditional rivalry game against Ohio State because COVID-19 positive tests, contact tracing and other injuries left the team without enough players to compete.

This season, Harbaugh was scheduled to make $8,036,179, making him the fourth highest-paid coach in college football, according to USA TODAY Sports. That includes a $2 million annual life insurance premium as long as he was coach by Dec. 6, 2020. But, his base pay and additional compensation was reduced by 10% because of the pandemic. 

Harbaugh, 57, was hired just after the 2014 season and is 49-22 in six seasons. However, Michigan has not reached the Big Ten championship game under Harbaugh, is 0-5 against Ohio State and 3-3 against Michigan State. 

The extension would offer Harbaugh a lower base salary than he currently has and a lower buyout figure, making it easier to fire him next year if needed, according to the people with knowledge of the situation.

Free Press sports writer Orion Sang contributed. Follow David Jesse on Twitter @reporterdavidj.