3rd and 10: NFL: The Jim Harbaugh Addresses Browns Rumour

The NFL off season has proven to be full of drama thus far. We are not even out of Super Bowl month and several juicy little stories have cropped up. The first major story I covered last week. Ray Rice’s arrest and the subsequent video of him dragging his fiance by her ankles. This week we have the Jim Harbaugh to the Browns rumour. Who doesn’t love a rumour when the NFL addicted are going through initial withdrawal stages?

Let’s jump right into the rumour, what proof has emerged and what this means.

The initial rumour came from ProFootball talk. It stated that during the search for a new head coach in Cleveland the Browns pursued Jim Harbaugh. The deal would have sent Jim to Cleveland and the 49ers would have received several draft picks for the trade.

The 49ers quickly denied the rumour. The organization said the rumour was “false” and “ridiculous.” The CEO Jed York said that no such talks took place. Jim Harbaugh also repeated that the rumors were not true.

However, Jimmy Haslam, has since come out and said “There was an opportunity there, and it didn’t materialize.” This firmed up the initial “we had an extensive search” comment the Browns said after the rumour first emerged.

Here’s why these conflicting reports are so interesting. Either the 49ers did not want the public to know they were considering trading Harbaugh, or they did not know that Harbaugh was talking to the Browns. The current GM of the 49ers, Trent Baalke, and Harbaugh are rumored to not get along. Harbaugh does not have complete control and this causes the two to butt heads. Harbaugh also has a very close relationship with the Browns GM Mike Lombardi. Harbaugh was in talks for other San Fran staff to move to the Browns.

Finally, Harbaugh probably wants more money. He hasn’t won a Super Bowl but he’s taken the team close.And on that note- does that mean that the team may in fact not be ascending? Is this as far as he can take them? Perhaps he wants the money and the challenge of the Browns.

What happens next will be most telling-either the 49ers sign Harbaugh to a weighty extension or his days in the organization have become numbered.

Either way I cant imagine Harbaugh stomping and twirling on the Browns sidelines — he’d have a heart attack.