JIM Harbaugh’s lack of a contract is not solely the fault of Warde Manuel

In the eyes of some, there’s only one man responsible for Jim Harbaugh’s lack of a contract extension, and it’s not the one who’s flirting with the NFL at this very moment.

It’s Warde Manuel, the athletic director so polarizing that fans have made petitions calling for his removal and naming him a “Public Enemy.” Scroll through social media or ask a passionate Michigan fan about Harbaugh’s future, and they’ll probably spend half their argument dragging Manuel through the mud.

To be clear, there’s a reason. Manuel has made a number of questionable decisions in recent years — trying to retain abusive coaches, reneging on contracts months after signing them and taking up NIL at a snail’s pace, to name just a few. And in this case, at a time when a beloved football team has turned into a powerhouse, Manuel has failed to guarantee that the figurehead who built it will stay at home.

But Harbaugh’s lack of a contract extension isn’t Manuel’s burden alone. Rather, it’s the shared fault of Harbaugh for constantly testing his NFL options.

Let’s face it, Harbaugh has plenty of baggage. With two NCAA investigations into his program unresolved — regardless of whether the Wolverines won “fair and square” — Harbaugh’s contract situation has to reflect his uncertain future. It’s why he’s reportedly seeking a clause that requires an agreed-upon arbitration panel for any for-cause termination, in a contract that will supposedly make him the highest paid coach in college football. Even if Harbaugh says staying at Michigan is not about the money, he’s not going to risk millions should the NCAA reveal a fireable offense. Manuel, meanwhile, isn’t going to risk Michigan footing that bill.

It’s easy to give a national championship-winning coach like Harbaugh everything they want. A lifetime contract, a fat paycheck, even a holiday in his honor — many fans would give him these without batting an eye. Harbaugh’s name means so much today that he got politicians from both sides to come support him and his team at Michigan’s championship celebration.

But it’s Manuel’s job to take this slow and get the contract details right — even if it means his name gets dragged because of it. More than just getting Harbaugh onboard again, Manuel, the Regents and everyone with a stake in Harbaugh’s contract have to make sure the contract works for the Wolverines, too.

All the while, Harbaugh has turned up the heat through continued interviews with NFL teams. The L.A. Chargers and Atlanta Falcons have conducted interviews already, and he’s got a second meeting booked with the Falcons. He might still decide to come back, but every day he further tests his loyalty. That is fully within his rights. But it’s also a sign that Harbaugh isn’t fully sold on a Michigan return, regardless of what contract negotiations might look like.

If Harbaugh was 100% committed to a Michigan return, he would’ve said so. Clearly, with his continued NFL interest, he isn’t, and Manuel cannot change that.

Manuel can try to court him back to Ann Arbor, but Harbaugh’s decision is solely his to make. And that’s what his current emotional cheating with the NFL suggests to anyone not blinded by the glitz of a championship ring.

If anything, by allowing Harbaugh to string Michigan along on his victory lap, Manuel is giving Harbaugh too much leeway. While other schools might pull the plug from fatigue if their coach flirted with the NFL every offseason looking for an upgrade, Manuel has remained patient because he knows he has a proven winner. But his patience on the contract front doesn’t mean Michigan doesn’t want Harbaugh, even if Harbaugh vaguely bemoaned his lack of an extension earlier this season.

“You want to be somewhere you’re wanted,” Harbaugh said Oct. 9. “They like what you do and how you do it. Then … your bosses tell you that, and that gets reflected in a contract. Any of us, right? We want to be somewhere that likes how you do it and what you do.”

Clearly Michigan likes how and what Harbaugh does — win — but now he has to reciprocate the feeling. And if politicians, fans and administrators saying they stand with him and want him back doesn’t make him feel welcome — like they’ve repeatedly done since Michigan won it all — then there really isn’t another red carpet that Michigan can lay out. Right now, he has everything most coaches would dream of. It’s not Manuel’s fault if Harbaugh is unsatisfied.

Of course, the elephant in the room is that Manuel and Harbaugh have a seemingly rocky relationship — smart money suggests that’s a major hurdle to inking a new contract. Even Harbaugh’s last extension happened with the helping hand of U-M President Santa Ono, who “communicated” the news to Manuel. Ouch.

But the Manuel-Harbaugh dynamic is more complex. If we wind back the tape to 2020, Manuel slashed Harbaugh’s contract after the worst season of Michigan football since John F. Kennedy was president. Yet the majority of fans at the time — the same ones lamenting Manuel — wanted Harbaugh gone. It was Manuel’s belief, though tempered by the new contract, that kept him around.

Manuel bet on Harbaugh to prove himself. Harbaugh has now delivered with enough rings to fill a fist. Jackpot.

“If he decides that he wants another opportunity to coach in the pros, then I’m gonna be happy for him, sad for us,” Manuel said Jan. 8, mere hours after winning the national championship. “We’re gonna move on and find the next person to lead. But I want him to stay at Michigan. I’ve said it. I believed that three, four years ago when people wanted me to get rid of him. I didn’t because I believed it then, and I believe it now.”

And as much as fans can pound their own fists demanding a Harbaugh contract, it isn’t just Manuel’s problem alone. There are two parties to every contract, and Harbaugh takes some of the blame too. Sure, in a perfect world, Manuel should be able to sign a coach who just won him a national championship. But Harbaugh’s world is imperfect, especially without a Super Bowl ring and with so many NFL executives hitting his line.

No one can predict what Harbaugh will do besides Harbaugh himself. It isn’t Manuel’s fault alone that his head coach has commitment issues.

It’s easy to side yourself on the winning side of a lovably zany coach and hate on the scandal-clad athletic director, but don’t just dump on Warde Manuel because it is easy. He’s responsible for many Michigan shortcomings, but he isn’t a scapegoat for Harbaugh’s ever-present NFL saga.

Manuel doesn’t deserve that, and it blinds you from what’s really going on between Harbaugh and his program.