Texas Head Coach Candidates: Jim Harbaugh Denies Interest, Wants Extension With 49ers
ByJim Harbaugh reaffirmed he does not want to return to coach a college football team and would "absolutely" be interested in staying with the San Francisco 49ers long-term.
According to ESPN, Harbaugh denied there was a rift between him and 49ers general manager Trent Baalke. He also said the coveted vacancy left by Mack Brown's resignation is not swaying him from his current job.
"In Judge Judy's court, hearsay is not admissible evidence," Harbaugh said. "I think we can all agree that an unnamed source is hearsay... In the court of public opinion, why would you give any of that credibility?"
49ers owner Jed York previously said the team is going to try to work out an extension with Harbaugh, who is in the third year of a five-year contract that will pay him $25 million. In a recent interview with KNBR, according to the San Jose Mercury News, York said Harbaugh does butt heads with Baalke, but the interactions are nothing strange. He also said reports of Harbaugh asking for more power with the team are false.
"Now do we butt heads on players from time to time? Of course. That's what GMs and coaches do," York said. "But Jim knows that being a coach is a full-time job, and he has a lot of respect for the job that Trent has done."
Harbaugh denied the friction between himself and Baalke as well, adding that he takes great pride in coaching the 49ers.
"It's the 49er way," said Harbaugh. "It's the team, the team, the team. Everybody does a little, and it adds up to be a lot. Nobody above the team. Nobody more important. Nobody less important. Hundreds of people in this organization, and we all have a role and we all contribute to the best of our ability. And that's the team, the team, the team. We win as a team. That's how we do it."
Harbaugh is 34-11-1 with the 49ers and led them to the Super Bowl last season, where they lost to the Ravens. Before that, he led a highly successful Stanford Cardinal team.
The Stanford head coaching job is commonly known as a spring board to the NFL, as such, current coach David Shaw is reportedly considering pursuing a job in the NFL. He too has been connected to the Texas job.