Michigan Football - 2025 Season.

[Dr. Strangelove]

If he's willing to take the Falcons job he really must want out of Dodge.

[Mike]

Correct. But, either way, it certainly indicates a commitment to get out of dodge.

Well, yeah. It’s been 3-4 years of the same thing. He would prefer to be in the NFL. Some Michigan fans can’t accept that and blame Warde and the school for not getting him signed. Meanwhile, there’s been a 10 year $125M offer on the table for like 2 months. It ain’t rocket surgery.

[iam416]

Right. At least with respect to this, you and I have been on the same page for months. It's disgusting.

[Cody_Russell]

I would guess the Falcons interview was a leverage play, but it’s not THAT bad of a job. Great/ loyal owner for NFL standards. Southern climate. Highly talented skills players. #8 overall pick that could turn into Harbaugh’s guy JJ McCarthy. Excellent OLine (ranked #4 by PFF). Hit and miss defense.

Now the Panthers?
Yes, that’s the worst opening. If Harbaugh interviews there, he’s certainly desperate to leave. Jerk owner + no 1st RD pick + really bad roster + who knows what to think of Bryce Young at this time.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos has a reputation of being cheap and maybe Harbaugh’s agent is trying to squeeze a quality offer out of the Chargers… or Michigan to cave in. 🤷♂️

[iam416]

I'd LMMFAO if someone took JJ at 8.

[Hannibal]

There's no such thing as an easy NFL job. If you're getting hired, it's because this year's team sucked.

The interviewing with the NFL seems more serious than the previous times. I think that he's gone.

If the hammer comes down, I assume that it will come with some scholarship penalties. That shouldn't hurt us too much since it's not as if it would destroy a great 2024 or 2025 recruiting class. 😐

[Cody_Russell]

I'd LMMFAO if someone took JJ at 8.

I mean, Will Levis was being mocked as high as #2 overall last year. Levis reportedly fell to the 2nd RD because he failed interviews and people had personality concerns.

JJ McCarthy > Will Levis. The running centric offense and severe injury in the Penn State game overshadowed JJ’s ability. I think he will be a good pro if he finds an offensive coach and maybe sits a year to work on mechanics.

Sometimes the draft prospect version of someone exceeds expectations…

https://www.nfl.com/news/2017-nfl-draft-deshone-kizer-mitch-trubisky-top-qb-prospects-0ap3000000787378

[Jeff Buchanan]

I don't think the discussion of Harbaugh's situation here is hitting on some key points. Dan Wetsel, Yahoo Sports, reported yesterday on what Harbaugh is seeking from Michigan. Wetzal, for whatever reasons, appears to be the chosen leaker of JH's position wrt ongoing contract talks. The only update today is a report that Harbaugh is still negotiating terms of his contract extension with Michigan even though he's also reported to be interviewing with NFL teams. One of M's Regents, reacting to Wetzals disclosures, posted on X this morning that he doesn't want social media and sports broadcasters at the center of ongoing contract talks between Michigan and Harbaugh.

Further, its being reported that compensation has been agreed on. What remains to be settled has to do with how he can be fired.

Specifically, Harbaugh is seeking language that would grant him immunity from termination from any finding or sanction that could arise from multiple current NCAA investigations into the football program. He's also seeking the start date of the contract extension, the signing, be delayed to February 15th. That would be to maintain a lower buyout that NFL teams would have to pay Michigan to hire him away. The buyout in his current contract dropped from $2.25 million to $1.5 million on Jan. 11. Michigan is seeking that to increase to about $4 million in the new deal.

On the immunity request, opinions on that posted in various blogs and forums I've read suggest that is a unique sort of request. However, given what is known about the two violation allegations (one of them - hamburger gate - produced a NOA to Michigan, the other - Stalions gate - has yet to be addressed by a NOA) Harbaugh and his agent don't want to get jerked around by either of these allegations that they believe are bogus.

Harbaugh is also reportedly seeking a matrix of fines be spelled out if there are any future NCAA violations as well as prohibiting the school’s athletic director from firing him “for cause” and instead having that decision, should it ever arise, rest in a three-member arbitration panel, sources said.

My take is that Harbaugh and his agents are working to optimize his job security at M. I consider that completely appropriate. Only Jim and those close to him know what his preference is between coaching in the NFL or remaining at M. GIven what information is available on his status and circumstances it's impossible to tell which way he's leaning. Everything he has said publicly seems to indicate he wants to stay at M. I also think he wants to coach football. If he can't get M to agree to the provisions in his contract he's asking for, he wants to make himself available to NFL teams seeking new HCs. To me, that's just smart planning and should be taken at face value rather than concluding he prefers coaching in the NFL and is headed there.

There have been posts at mgoboard that spell all of the details Wetzal revealed yesterday including posters who seem to have been involved themselves with the kinds of employment negotiations Harbaugh, his agents and Michigan are involved in. When it comes to high profile coaching jobs, leaking information on the principals negotiating position is common. The kinds of things Jim is asking for is also common with the matrix of punishments thing being unique but reasonable given the murkiness of NCAA rules violations, assigning accountability and the unrestrained powers of the NCAA and now, the conferences, meeting out punishments. I think Jim's experience with what Petitti invoked makes him rightly and legitimately concerned about how that process works. Seems to me that seeking to protect himself against the arbitrary nature of all of that is totally reasonable.

[Mike]

While it's completely understandable for someone to want as many protections as possible, It seems like Jim keeps moving the goalposts. He definitely wants to keep all his options open but, honestly, does anyone think Warde would FIRE Harbaugh over HamburgerGate/Stalions? Its all posturing. If the Chargers make him a nice offer, he's gone. Period. I wouldn't be surprised if the Raiders and Commanders some after him, too.

[lineygoblue]

I think the only reason the Chargers haven't hit him with an offer yet is because they have to adhere to the Rooney Rule. They have to interview at least 2? minority candidates before they can offer the job to ANYONE. I'm still expecting Harbaugh to get an offer from them late this week. Rumor is that Harbaugh and his wife were looking at real estate while they were in LA for the Rose Bowl. Not sure how true that is.

And Harbaugh isn't going to Atlanta. They'll take Belichick if he's really serious about wanting the job. Harbaugh only went to that interview to leverage Michigan.

I don't like the look of Harbaugh wanting immunity from being fired. This makes it look like he knows he's guilty of something, but wants his superiors to overlook it. Harbaugh has consistently said he didn't do anything wrong. So, which is it? Are you really innocent, or did you do wrong? I want him to stay, but I want him to be honest. If he did something worthy of being fired, then so long. Lets get the next guy in place and move on.

[Mike]

I'm pretty sure Harbaugh was focused on other things while he was in Pasadena. I wouldn't give that rumor much attention.

[Jeff Buchanan]

All the factually unsupported speculation over JH's plans reminds me of the many times where Flight Aware was used to track M's (Steve Ross's) private jet around the US in an effort to determine where Bill Martin was (the coaching search after Carr retired) or where Jim Hackett was as the Harbaugh hiring process was underway.

Look, I don't care if Jim moves on or stays at M. What I do care about is that he is being fairly judged and treated and I don't think he is. In fact, we don't know jack-shit about Harbaugh's intentions. Jim's position on immunity from being punished for NCAA allegations involving hamburger gate of spy gate, IMO, are based on two very real issues that are public ally known: (1) Harbaugh believes and rightly so that he was unjustly accused of rule breaking. (2) Harbaugh also believes the process by which allegations of NCAA rule breaking were farcical.

Here's another thing for Harbaugh ..... there is publically known certainty that decision making parties within the U failed to fully support him when the BIG's Commissioner levied unprecedented penalties, caving to a torch bearing crowd, on M, without due process. Fucking crazy shit is what that was. Given what went down, does anyone not think that what JH is asking the U to do, protect him from any future sanctions related to hamburger and/or spy gate, not entirely reasonable? I do. Does anyone actually think Warde or the Regents, having already once demonstrated their lack of support in fending off ridiculous allegations and unwarranted penalties for unproven sign stealing allegations wouldn't fuck him over in the future under other similar circumstances? I do.

I think Harbaugh would be absolutely right to turn his back on the idiot administrators within the U and leave for an NFL gig if they failed to agree to his terms of employment.

[lineygoblue]

That's a good take on the University support issue, Jeff. I hadn't looked at it that way before. I can't disagree at all.

[JRB]

It's done. The bill starts coming due...

[lineygoblue]

Looks like everyone got what they wanted.

NCAA .. check
Big Ten Conference .. check
All Big Ten football teams sans Michigan ... check
Los Angeles Chargers ... check
Jim Harbaugh .... check
Warde Manuel ... check
University of Michigan Regents ... check
ABC/ESPN ... check
Fox Sports ... check
CBS Sports ... check
NFL ... check
State of Ohio ... check
Paul Finebaum ... check


---

Hmmm... I guess it really IS "Michigan Against Everybody" now.

---

I guess there's nothing more to add.

So long.