Will investigation impact Jim Harbaugh’s NFL coaching chances? Insider weighs in

Will investigation impact Jim Harbaugh’s NFL coaching chances? Insider weighs in originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

While Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is biding his time and hoping his team can knock off Ohio State and punch a ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game this week, questions remain around a potential return to the NFL.

Harbaugh, who interviewed for NFL positions before returning to Michigan after last season, is currently serving a three-game suspension as part of an investigation into allegations of sign stealing at the school, and he remains under investigation by the NCAA.

The idea of Harbaugh jumping back to the NFL has been debated for several years, but if he were to make the move now, would the investigation into allegations that Michigan improperly used advanced scouting to decode signals impact his chances of landing a job?

Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer says that the thinking in NFL circles has changed recently.

When this whole thing happened with Jim Harbaugh, all the teams I talked to when I asked ‘is this going to impact him if he decides to go and come to the NFL,’ at first, teams said ‘you know, we really want to start hearing more about this investigation,’ but as the last couple of weeks have gone, that has just completely changed. All the teams I’ve talked to have said ‘you know what, regardless of what we hear in that investigation, that is not going to effect the way we look at Jim Harbaugh if he wants to come back and coach in the NFL.’ They’ve kind of moved on from this,” he said.

Harbaugh has had a great run of success at Michigan, with an 85-25 record in nine seasons at his alma mater. He led the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff in each of the last two seasons, losing to Georgia in the 2022 semifinal and to TCU in last year’s semifinal.

The Wolverines are now 11-0 and are one win away from getting back to the Big Ten Championship Game, with a spot in the playoff on the line.

Prior to his coaching stint at Michigan, Harbaugh posted a record of 44-19-1 with the San Francisco 49ers, leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2013.

Several teams could be looking for a new head coach after the season, with the Las Vegas Raiders in the market and other teams like the Chicago Bears potentially looking to shake things up after disappointing seasons.