The latest reporting from Angelique Chengelis at the Detroit News certainly won’t sit well with the folks who wanted to keep Harbaugh in Ann Arbor. According to her reporting (shared below), Michigan officials essentially dragged their feet on meeting specific requests from Harbaugh’s side as it related to a contract extension. Although the reporting suggests that Michigan finally came around and was willing to provide what Harbaugh was asking for, the momentum between Harbaugh and the Chargers was already too strong to overcome.

“Harbaugh’s attorneys, who had been trying to work with Michigan to keep him in Ann Arbor, said, however, it took until the proverbial 11th hour on Wednesday for Michigan to give in on certain contract language. Bye then, it was too late. After months of Michigan rejecting the contract terms his lawyers proposed in late 2023, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told The Detroit News that Michigan finally agreed to Harbaugh’s proposal on Wednesday afternoon when Harbaugh was already in the final stage of discussions with the Chargers.”

Angelique Chengelis, The Detroit News

Not exactly a great look for Michigan if the reporting is accurate.

Sure, it’s painfully clear that Jim Harbaugh’s desire of chasing a Super Bowl in the NFL never went away after taking over at Michigan. In 2022, he interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings. Prior to the 2023 season, he interviewed with the Denver Broncos. Following the 2023 season, Harbaugh interviewed with both the Chargers and the Falcons – and ultimately accepted the head coaching job with the Chargers.

Harbaugh’s repeated exploration of NFL opportunities suggests that a return to the league was inevitable, and it’s likely there wasn’t anything Michigan could do to prevent it from happening this time. Even so, the idea that Michigan essentially waited until it was too late to offer a contract that might have kept Harbaugh in Ann Arbor is something that is sure to anger a large segment of the fan base.