The San Francisco 49ers and Jim Harbaugh have parted ways and now the head coach could be headed to the Michigan Wolverines or another NFL team like the Oakland Raiders, NY Jets, Chicago Bears or Atlanta Falcons after those teams made coaching moves on Black Monday.
The news was not a surprise after numerous reports came out over the past few weeks that the 49ers were looking for a change and that the Michigan Wolverines had made a serious offer. According to ESPN.com, the 49ers released a statement on Sunday that they have mutually agreed to part ways with Harbaugh as head coach and they will now start to look for the next coach to take over for the organization. Adam Schefter at ESPN reports that Michigan will hold a press conference Tuesday introducing Harbaugh.
Harbaugh took the 49ers to three straight NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl in four years, but the team went 8-8 this season. Harbaugh missed the playoffs for the first time as head coach with the 49ers this season and that was one of the reasons that the two sides parted. ESPN.com reported earlier in the season about issues between Harbaugh and the front office, including general manager Trent Baalke, and that spurred constant speculation about Harbaugh's future.
The Oakland Raiders were interested in making a trade for Harbaugh, but that never materialized, and Michigan also made an offer and showed interest in Harbaugh. Harbaugh previously was targeted by the Cleveland Browns in a trade last year and Adam Schefter reported earlier in the season that the Jets and Raiders were interested in Harbaugh if they made coaching changes.
Some have suggested that the Niners dealt Harbaugh a bad hand this season and that they were looking to let him go, as the front office has had a frosty relationship at times with the head coach. Harbaugh won 44 games and lost just 19 in four seasons with San Francisco and he splits ways with the organization with one year still left one his contract. The 49ers started 7-4 this season and faltered down the stretch and the offense also struggled quite a bit at times, including quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Michigan reportedly is meeting with Harbaugh in the Bay Area on Monday and Harbaugh himself said that "announcements" would be made at the right time. That could mean Harbaugh is going to Michigan, but that is not a done deal yet, according to Adam Schefter at ESPN. It's starting to look like Harbaugh is going to Michigan though, as the Raiders have shown interest, but not to the extent of the school. Harbaugh played at Michigan and the school is anticipating bringing him in, with sources saying they are "optimistic".
One reason Harbaugh is considered to be such a sought after target is the quick turnaround he can pull with teams. Harbaugh took over Stanford and has a .459 winning percentage compared to the .294 in the previous three years at the school. The team went 1-11 before Harbaugh arrived and he left the team with a 12-1 record and he also totally turned around the Niners, who were mired in mediocrity for a decade before he arrived. Michigan is looking to make a hire by the end of this week and that could get Harbaugh to Ann Arbor.