Michigan ‘offer Jim Harbaugh a 10-year deal worth $125m that includes a clause where he can’t talk to NFL teams’ amid interest from the Chargers and Bears

Michigan is making a big push to retain coach Jim Harbaugh, offering him a huge new contract with a special clause amid interest from NFL teams.

Harbaugh hasn’t coached in the NFL in nearly a decade and has built the Wolverines into one of the most consistent teams in college football.

However, he is drawing interest from a number of teams this offseason as the NFL prepares for a huge turnover in head coaches.

But Michigan, which is preparing for the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, won’t let its head coach go without a fight.

According to NFL insider Ian RapoportMichigan offered Harbaugh a 10-year contract worth $125 million.

Michigan offered Jim Harbaugh a 10-year, $125 million contract with no NFL clause.

That would make the 60-year-old coach, whose current contract runs through 2026, one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.

However, it also contains a clause that prohibits Harbaugh from discussing or accepting an NFL job through the 2024 season. This will only be a condition for one season.

It is also alleged that Michigan left a shorter contract worth about $11 million per year on the table.

The Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots are considered possible landing spots for Harbaugh.

While he hasn’t left Michigan, he has drawn interest from the NFL over the last few years. Most recently, he interviewed for jobs with the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos.

But when those interviews didn’t turn into a job offer, Harbaugh released a tongue-in-cheek statement in December 2022.

He said, “People who think we’ve done a good job and are happy with the job we’ve done here at Michigan will be very happy to know that we’ll be back excited to coach the Wolverines in 2023.” .

The Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears have shown interest in Harbaugh.

“And for those people who don’t approve of what we’re doing or who would rather have someone else coach here, I think they’ll likely be disappointed to hear that we’ll be coaching the Wolverines again in 2023.”

Earlier this week, the NCAA notified Michigan that they were charging Harbaugh with a Level I violation.

Harbaugh’s new set of charges relate to allegedly providing false or misleading information during an investigation into recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period.

The official notice of charges received by Michigan also outlined four Level 2 charges that included inappropriate contact with recruits and analysts performing coaching duties.

The Big Ten had already suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season in an unrelated case involving a sign-stealing scheme that is still under investigation.

Michigan will now have 90 days to respond to the allegations. The formal notice of charges is a precursor to a hearing that could take place in 2024.