San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has two players in tight end Vernon Davis and right guard Alex Boone who have made it clear to the public they want new contracts. He also has two excellent players on expiring deals in wide receiver Michael Crabtree and left guard Mike Iupati.
Jim Harbaugh says he’s paid ‘extremely well,’ once again states he’s not looking for more power
San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh may need a new contract soon, but he’s reiterated that he thinks he’s making plenty of money.
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The 49ers recently gave quarterback Colin Kaepernick one of the largest contracts ever, with a few caveats. So big money has been changing hands, but is there a slice of the pie for the aforementioned coach?
Harbaugh recently told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report he is “paid extremely well” and that he works “at the pleasure of the San Francisco 49ers organization and at the pleasure of the York family.” He also clarified that he has “never asked to be paid like a Super Bowl-winning coach” nor has he ever “asked for more power.”
This is more of the same from Harbaugh, who has made it clear that he doesn't like talking about these things with the media and has generally done his best to assure everybody that things are particularly fine between him and the 49ers organization. But this offseason has been abuzz with plenty of talk that probably would have dominated the headlines if the 49ers didn't have other PR fires to put out, like the Aldon Smith and Chris Culliver situations.
Let's get a timeline here: First, the 49ers wanted to extend Harbaugh, and just a little over a week later, it was reported that Harbaugh was "nearly traded" to the Cleveland Browns and the 49ers had a "deep rift." This rift wasn't specifically about contracts. The report suggested that Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke were "barely speaking" due to differences in opinion. This wound up going nowhere fast, as the 49ers did everything they could to disprove the notion.
The trade stuff is a little weird. Just about nobody believed it, but Browns owner Jimmy Haslam suggested that the opportunity was there. It’s hard to imagine the 49ers calling around and taking offers. It’s more likely that the Browns heard something and called the 49ers, but whatever the case, that whole mess happened and we’ll probably never know exactly what went down.
In March, Harbaugh came out again and said that that he never told anybody he wants to be the highest-paid coach in football, and that he makes “plenty of money.” He also said that he doesn’t want anymore power, but that he wants to “coach the team.” David Fucillo of Niners Nation covered the chaos well, but ultimately gave it little credibility. He also talked about Harbaugh’s recent comments here. At any rate, this is the first we’ve heard of this since a couple of reports in early June that suggested the two sides were, once again, far apart, and it sounds like Harbaugh’s stance hasn’t changed at all.
The preseason is approaching and Harbaugh is obviously focused on football. If we hear anything about his contract at all during this season, it would be be surprising. He’s entering the fourth year of a five-year deal worth a total of $25 million. He’s making $5 million per season, which isn’t top of the league, but it’s apparently enough to satisfy Harbaugh. Expect the talks to heat up more next offseason, when Harbaugh enters his contract year.
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