The Broncos have already begun to put together a list of head coaching candidates to interview, and they continue to look at big names. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero are reporting that the team plans to interview Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for the vacancy.
Harbaugh has had a ton of success at Michigan recently, making back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances and losing just three games in the last two years. The Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett Dec. 26 after a 4-11 start with the team.
Harbaugh, former 49ers head coach, interviewed with the Vikings last year, and got deep enough into talks that he thought he had a shot at the job. Minnesota went with Kevin O’Connell, instead, and Harbaugh signed a five-year extension with Michigan.
Harbaugh is set to earn around $7 million a year through 2026, and has a reasonable buyout that decreases after each season. The head coach could be using Denver to try get a raise and become one of the highest-paid coaches in college, as he isn’t even in the top 10 of highest-paid college coaches.
The Broncos appear to be sparing no expense in their efforts to identify their next coach. They already got permission to interview former Saints coach Sean Payton. This is Denver’s first coaching search under their new ownership, a group that took control after Hackett was hired.
