Just two years ago, he was considered on the head coach hot seat, but after leading Michigan to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, Jim Harbaugh has the salary to match his recent success. Harbaugh’s contract has been one of the most high profile in recent years, but what does his most recent deal look like, what is his net worth, and what salary does he command?
Jim Harbaugh’s Salary and Contract in 2023
In 2023, Harbaugh will take home a salary of $7.19 million as a minimum. Under the terms of his latest contract — a five-year, $36.7 million deal agreed in February 2022 after leading the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff semifinal and following a brief dalliance with the Minnesota Vikings — Harbaugh has a fixed base salary of $655,000 through the 2026 season.
However, this base salary is boosted by an additional compensation that Harbaugh receives on a yearly increasing basis. The additional amount for 2023 is $6.355 million, which takes the total earnings for the Michigan head coach to $7.19 million.
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That makes the former Stanford and San Francisco 49ers head coach one of the highest-paid coaches in all of college football. Incredibly, Harbaugh has the potential to earn a substantial amount beyond his base salary and additional compensation combined.
The Michigan head coach has one of the most interesting contracts in college football, with a number of bonuses and added extras. Of these, the most unique is a monetary reward for academic excellence.
Under the terms of his current contract, Harbaugh can earn up to $150,000 if the team has an Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 960 or higher. Harbaugh has never had a team fall below that mark during his eight-year tenure as the head coach at Michigan or while at Stanford.
Harbaugh’s Net Worth
Harbaugh gambled his salary at the end of 2020, betting on himself despite a disappointing season for the Wolverines. Considered to be on the hottest of coaching hot seats, the Michigan head coach took a significant cut in his base salary as part of a four-year deal that was heavy on incentives tied to on-field performance.
Michigan subsequently had the most successful season of Harbaugh’s tenure in 2021, winning “The Game” rivalry with Ohio State, the Big Ten Championship, and reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time under his stewardship. In doing so, he earned $2 million in bonuses, donating them to an athletic department whose funds had been ravaged by the global pandemic.
Despite bumping his new five-year deal bumping his salary up above his previous contract — and the five-year, $25 million deal he signed with the 49ers in 2011 — Harbaugh can still alter his net worth substantially by having another successful season in 2023.
If Michigan were to win a third consecutive Big Ten Championship in 2023, Harbaugh nets a cool $1 million. Even reaching the game pockets the Wolverines head coach $500,000. Another trip to the College Football Playoff nets Harbaugh an additional $500,000 to his salary while winning a national title boosts his bank balance by $1 million.
In a best-case scenario, Harbaugh can take home a salary in advance of $10.2 million from the 2023 season.