The Michigan Wolverines have decided to re-sign Jim Harbaugh to be their coach for, at least, the immediate future. The five-year deal through 2026 pays out a base salary of four million dollars. The difference between the last contract and his, now current, deal is this one is heavily incentivized.

His yearly incentives could potentially dole out $3.3 million in his first year, steadily growing into $3.8 million by his final year. Harbaugh would earn $1 million for winning the CFP and Big Ten, $500,000 for making the CFP, $200,000 for reaching an NY6 Bowl, $500,000 for winning the Big Ten East outright, $150,000 for APR-related things, $75,000 for being National Coach of the Year, and $50,000 for Big Ten Head Coach of the Year.

The $4 million base puts him as the 11th highest-paid coach in the Big Ten, even behind newly acquired Illinois coach, Bret Bielema.

At no point in any year will Harbaugh be able to make what he made during the 2020 football season. He made just over $8 million, but with the new contract, the highest he can reach is $7.75 million.

The buyout is also very team-friendly. Michigan will only need to pay him $4 million if they were to move on from him after year one. It decreases every year after that, dropping by $1 million. If Harbaugh wanted out after year one, he would need to return $2 million to the team.

My Thoughts

I’m personally a big fan of this deal. Harbaugh’s time at Michigan has been nothing short of disappointing. If you read my article post the Michigan State game, you know my feelings. However, this deal makes him the 11th highest-paid coach, which is where he should be. Ward Manuel, the Michigan AD, got a steal here. If Harbaugh wants the big bucks, he has to perform. He’s got to do things that he hasn’t done before in his time at Michigan. And, at any point, if Manuel isn’t happy with the football team’s performance, he can just buy the contract out, which is perfect.

Harbaugh has been a pretty solid recruiter, although it hasn’t translated that well to the field. His current class is 13th in the nation with kids like J.J. McCarthy and Donovan Edwards.

It also gives him a one year trial with a new DC. If there doesn’t seem to be any improvement then Harbaugh will likely be done after one year.

Overall, if we had to re-sign Harbaugh, this is the perfect deal, I just think there were other options.