NEWSLETTER
Jim Harbaugh’s employment is one of the things throwing a wrench in the whole idea of bringing him to Chicago to teach Mitch Trubisky the ways of the force how to run a proper NFL offense and lead the Bears to their first title since winning Super Bowl XX.
A grand extension of said employment would likely terminate that dream scenario.
Madeline Kenney of the Chicago Sun-Times writes CBS Sports college football analyst/reporter Brady Quinn believes Harbaugh will probably stick at the University of Michigan. You can check out Quinn’s entire interview here.
But how long will Harbaugh stay coaching his alma mater? Let’s just say I hope you’re either not holding your breath or are really patient, willing to wait, and overly optimistic.
“I talked to someone who’s kind of an insider within that program and we had a long, drawn-out conversation,” Quinn said in an interview on Fox Sports Radio. “What he told me was, they’re working on a lifetime contract. I swear to you, I’m not trying to throw a wrench in [the speculation that Harbaugh might go to the NFL]. That was his words.”
A lifetime contract seems pretty binding and lengthy, doesn’t it?
Harbaugh could lead the Wolverines to their third straight 10-win season if they can find a way to beat Ohio State in the regular season finale and win a bowl game. And if it happened, it would be Michigan’s first win against Ohio State since 2011. However, I can’t imagine the thought of a lifetime extension immediately being handed down if Michigan loses to Ohio State for a third straight year under Harbaugh.
Quinn says he doesn’t see Harbaugh returning to the NFL because “I don’t know how many people are going to be able to put up with him … He kind of wears thin after a while.” Harbaugh’s head coaching stops have each been four-year stints with time at San Jose State, Stanford, and with the San Francisco 49ers before he returned to Michigan.
Of course, why would Quinn – a native son of Columbus, Ohio (home of the Buckeyes) and former quarterback at Notre Dame (one of Michigan’s most bitter rivals) – want to throw a wrench in the speculation surrounding Harbaugh and the NFL?
