Schefter: “Would Be An Upset” If Jim Harbaugh Is Back With 49ers Next Year

According to ESPN’s Adam Scehfter, it “would be an upset” if head coach Jim Harbaugh is back with the 49ers next season.

“There’s still a lot of season left now, and things always could change,” writes Schefter. “But it feels like there is a lot of strain, a lot of uncertainty and my belief is it would be an upset if Harbaugh is back next season.”

Schefter adds that there is still a chance that Harbaugh could finish out his contract with the 49ers, but he’s not counting on it as of now.

“The fact that San Francisco even listened to dealing him last offseason, and Harbaugh preferred not to sign an extension with them before this season, tells me that both sides are open to moving on from one another,” Schefter writes.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports mentioned last weekend that he can’t see any way Harbaugh being back in San Francisco next year, even if they win the Super Bowl.

• According to Glazer, Harbaugh’s act has reportedly “worn thin” throughout the entire 49ers’ organization.

However, 49ers CEO Jed York has said publicly that the reported issues between Harbaugh and the team have been overblown. On top of that, York reiterated his desire to sign Harbaugh to a long-term extension.

There has been turmoil surrounding Harbaugh’s future with the team for a while now, which has led to speculation that the two sides could part ways before his contract is up.

Harbaugh is in the fourth year of a five-year, $25 million contract, but the two sides have agreed to table talks regarding a potential extension until after the season.

There has been plenty of speculation that Harbaugh’s alma mater, the University of Michigan, could have interest in hiring him as their new head coach at some point. However, a recent report mentioned that Harbaugh is not interested in returning to the college game. His name has also come up as a potential option for the Raiders and Dolphins head coaching positions next year.

Schefter and Glazer are arguably the two most reliable NFL insiders and given the amount of smoke being generated in the past year, it appears as though there is something to the idea that Harbaugh could be coaching for another team next year.

Harbaugh’s contract and future with the 49ers figure to be popular topics throughout the offseason. We’ll have more updates as the news is available.