Jim Harbaugh was reportedly close to signing a contract with the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday, according to NFL insiders. However, no deal was finalised, and Harbaugh is expected to return to Ann Arbour to continue working with his alma mater.
Harbaugh is returning to work with the maize and blue, and according to Chris Balas of On3, the University of Michigan is making an offer to the nine-year Wolverines coach that would make him the highest-paid college football coach. This comes as the Chargers look to revamp their team with a new head coach and general manager. Furthermore, even if other coaches in the league receive raises, he will remain the highest-paid college football coach if he accepts the position.
President Santa Ono of Michigan has stated that he will stop at nothing to retain Harbaugh in Ann Arbour, as we have previously reported. According to our sources, this currently entails making the coach the highest-paid college football coach with a contract offer. It would contain wording that would better shield Harbaugh from what has been a “aggressive” NCAA as well as escalator clauses to maintain it that way (automatic hikes in the agreed-upon compensation if specific conditions change while the contract is in place).
Will Harbaugh be able to stay in Ann Arbour for at least another year with that? It’s not clear. Though many still maintain that a deal is almost guaranteed, Harbaugh has seemed like he was leaving each of the previous two years in order to stay with the Wolverines.
Although a lot of people anticipated that the Chargers and Harbaugh would reach an agreement by Tuesday night, NFL insider Ian Rapoport pointed out that a contract was still a long way off.
