Rumors of Jim Harbaugh leaving the Michigan Wolverines for the NFL blew up this coaching cycle, and Harbaugh even had a dalliance with the Minnesota Vikings before announcing his return to Ann Arbor. Harbaugh also just signed a contract extension with Michigan.

While the Wolverines head coach has seemingly committed himself to Michigan, the buyout details in his new contract won't stop the speculation of a possible move back to the NFL in the coming years.

Harbaugh is getting a pay bump back to over $7 million in base salary in 2022 after his 2021 base salary was cut in half to about $4 million, though he hit incentives by winning the Big Ten and getting to the College Football Playoff. His salary then increases over the life of the deal through 2026.

However, Harbaugh's buyout needed for him to leave for another gig starts at $3 million after the 2022 season and then sharply decreases by $750,000 each year after that. If an NFL team comes calling and really wants him, the cost isn't all that much to buy him out.

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Harbaugh can talk all he wants about how committed he is to the Wolverines, but it wouldn't surprise anybody if he flirts with the NFL again in the near future. He had success there already and could get an even bigger payday while potentially even getting control of personnel decisions. If an NFL team is willing to put a Godfather offer on the table for him, it will be hard for him to resist.

For now, though, Harbaugh will look to lead Michigan to another Big Ten title in 2022.