Jim Harbaugh hires high-profile NFL agent ahead of Rose Bowl

Jim Harbaugh may not be talking publicly about his future, but the Michigan coach is apparently working behind the scenes to make himself available to the NFL.

Harbaugh has reportedly hired high-profile sports agent Don Yee to represent him, according to Saturday night reports from ESPN and The NFL Network, setting the stage for what could be his final season with the Wolverines.

Yee has a client list that includes Tom Brady and Sean Payton and, according to Schefter, “has deep NFL ties.” His agency, Yee & Dubin Sports LLC, is based out of Pasadena, Calif.

The blockbuster report comes less than 48 hours before No. 1 Michigan is set to play Alabama in Monday’s Rose Bowl (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). A victory for the Wolverines would send them to the College Football Playoff championship, but a loss would end their wild season. Earlier on Saturday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Los Angeles Chargers “put out feelers” and have done preliminary work on Harbaugh as a potential head-coaching candidate.

Harbaugh is set to address the media on Saturday morning in Los Angeles after sidestepping questions about the NFL this week. On Wednesday during a Rose Bowl welcome event at Disneyland, Harbaugh told reporters he had a “one-track mind” and was focused solely on the bowl game.

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“Whatever day we’re in, we’re looking to get the most out of it,” Harbaugh said. “Dominate the day and go to sleep, wake up tomorrow and see if we can’t dominate that day. It’s a single-minded group that’s very focused on taking care of business today and see if we can’t do the same tomorrow.”

Harbaugh, currently in the second of a five-year contract with Michigan that runs through 2026, has entertained NFL interest in the past. He interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings after the 2021 season but never received an offer, then had preliminary talks with the Denver Broncos following the ‘22 season. He coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, going 44-19-1 while taking the franchise to three NFC championship games and Super Bowl XLVII.

The Michigan coach is set to make more than $10 million this year at Michigan thanks to performance bonuses in his contract, after the Wolverines captured a third straight Big Ten title and CFP invite. The school has extended a contract extension to Harbaugh that would make him the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten, reports say.

He has not signed the extension, a source with knowledge of the deal has said, suggesting Harbaugh might wait until after the end of Michigan’s season to explore potential NFL interest.

Complicating matters is the NCAA, which currently has two open investigations into the Michigan football program for potential rules violations. Harbaugh already served a three-game, school-imposed suspension for the first probe centered around recruiting and misleading investigators, and was slapped with a separate three-game ban by the Big Ten after the league found Michigan in violation of the league’s sportsmanship policy for operating an advanced scouting ring.

Harbaugh has not been implicated in the advanced scouting probe, and has claimed to have no knowledge or involvement in it, but could be subject to additional punishment.