Yesterday, as I said that Jim Harbaugh was in California for a non-football-related trip, it was assumed that he was going to kill two birds with one stone and meet with the Chargers while he was out there. A meeting between the Chargers will take place today. I don't have a timeframe or anything like that.
The more I speak to people, the more I very much see this as an interview and not a simple discussion about the job.
I also get the sense that Harbaugh is high up on the priority board for the Chargers, too. Enough to where I've been told that the Chargers plan to roll out the red carpet for him during the visit.
The big question remains, can the Chargers give everything Harbaugh wants? That I cannot answer. Harbaugh does have someone in his corner within the organization, Michael Spanos II, whom Harbaugh coached at Stanford. While he doesn't hold a position with enough influence to make a decision, he's a special advisor in business operations, and he is the son of the owner and Vice Chairman Michael Spanos.
Again, just because there is support within the organization does not mean that all hope is lost.
I don't expect an immediate decision to be made from the Chargers, nor Harbaugh for that matter, as the organization has more interviews to conduct this week, including one on Friday.
Do I view the Chargers as a threat? Absolutely.
Has Michigan's chances taken a hit? Not necessarily.
Let's talk Michigan...
I continue to get the sense that the preference for Harbaugh is to stay in Ann Arbor but there is certainly some nervousness about the Chargers, especially if they're willing to give Harbaugh what he wants.
It's never been about jumping at the first team that wants him, it has to be the perfect opportunity. The talent in LA is certainly there, can the organization make promises to give him the assistance he needs in the process? Not sure.
We have heard that U-M has made some concessions with the for-cause termination wording in Harbaugh's contract regarding the NCAA. I know it has been discussed on the boards that the current contract is "unsignable in its current form" coming out of the weekend but I cannot speak to that. I don't know if that is factual or just pro-Jim people that he is close with stating it as an opinion.
I can also say that Harbaugh has reiterated his preference to stay in Ann Arbor as recently as this weekend to people he is close with.
In short, I don't see this concluding relatively soon and a lot has to do with how the meeting with the Chargers goes and how much they're willing to give Harbaugh what he wants. There's no denying he is very high on their list of candidates. Harbaugh will have a decision to make and is often unpredictable.
Michigan is still there and working with Harbaugh. It's coming down to Harbaugh weighing his NFL options and going from there, that's much is abundantly clear.
No need to include language in the contract that he can't pursue the NFL if the talks pick back up outside of the hiring window, right?
Personal opinion, I'm willing to reassess my thought process if I hear more coming out of the meeting with the Chargers. If U-M dodges another NFL bullet and nothing comes out of this, I get the sense that the likelihood of him sticking around Ann Arbor increases tenfold.
If you pay attention to Vegas odds, Michigan is still the betting favorite for Harbaugh's return.
Again, we'll see what happens.
The more I speak to people, the more I very much see this as an interview and not a simple discussion about the job.
I also get the sense that Harbaugh is high up on the priority board for the Chargers, too. Enough to where I've been told that the Chargers plan to roll out the red carpet for him during the visit.
The big question remains, can the Chargers give everything Harbaugh wants? That I cannot answer. Harbaugh does have someone in his corner within the organization, Michael Spanos II, whom Harbaugh coached at Stanford. While he doesn't hold a position with enough influence to make a decision, he's a special advisor in business operations, and he is the son of the owner and Vice Chairman Michael Spanos.
Again, just because there is support within the organization does not mean that all hope is lost.
I don't expect an immediate decision to be made from the Chargers, nor Harbaugh for that matter, as the organization has more interviews to conduct this week, including one on Friday.
Do I view the Chargers as a threat? Absolutely.
Has Michigan's chances taken a hit? Not necessarily.
Let's talk Michigan...
I continue to get the sense that the preference for Harbaugh is to stay in Ann Arbor but there is certainly some nervousness about the Chargers, especially if they're willing to give Harbaugh what he wants.
It's never been about jumping at the first team that wants him, it has to be the perfect opportunity. The talent in LA is certainly there, can the organization make promises to give him the assistance he needs in the process? Not sure.
We have heard that U-M has made some concessions with the for-cause termination wording in Harbaugh's contract regarding the NCAA. I know it has been discussed on the boards that the current contract is "unsignable in its current form" coming out of the weekend but I cannot speak to that. I don't know if that is factual or just pro-Jim people that he is close with stating it as an opinion.
I can also say that Harbaugh has reiterated his preference to stay in Ann Arbor as recently as this weekend to people he is close with.
In short, I don't see this concluding relatively soon and a lot has to do with how the meeting with the Chargers goes and how much they're willing to give Harbaugh what he wants. There's no denying he is very high on their list of candidates. Harbaugh will have a decision to make and is often unpredictable.
Michigan is still there and working with Harbaugh. It's coming down to Harbaugh weighing his NFL options and going from there, that's much is abundantly clear.
No need to include language in the contract that he can't pursue the NFL if the talks pick back up outside of the hiring window, right?
Personal opinion, I'm willing to reassess my thought process if I hear more coming out of the meeting with the Chargers. If U-M dodges another NFL bullet and nothing comes out of this, I get the sense that the likelihood of him sticking around Ann Arbor increases tenfold.
If you pay attention to Vegas odds, Michigan is still the betting favorite for Harbaugh's return.
Again, we'll see what happens.
