The Broncos can’t let Jim Harbaugh get away

The Broncos should do whatever it takes to get him to Denver

It is time for Broncos Country to start buying khakis from Walmart.

While the Denver Broncos finish out this abysmal season, the future is filled with possibilities. One of those could include the addition of Jim Harbaugh as the team’s new head coach.

The Michigan Wolverines current head coach is just one of the names that has been tied to several NFL franchises. While many of those teams could be hoping to land one of the biggest coaching fishes in the pond this offseason, the Broncos are uniquely suited to lure the Michigan Man to Colorado.

What I find most interesting about this whole coaching search is that it isn’t just a full court press to get Harbaugh to Denver. Why? Because Sean Payton might show interest? Because the price tag might be out of this world? None of that should matter.

First, let’s dispense with the idea that the Broncos shouldn’t just throw money at their head coaching problem. The richest owners in the world should have no problem flexing their cash. If the numbers that were rumored are true, $20 million per year for 6 years, that’s nickels and dimes to someone worth $60 billion. Besides, it’s not my money. Spend it.

It also doesn’t count against the salary cap, so who cares how much it is.

I’m not about to make a huge argument against Sean Payton. He is a good coach, but let’s not pretend that his price tag doesn’t include trading away draft picks that are non-existent for the Broncos.

And Harbaugh, while costly, also has a track record as a coach that can revive a franchise. His work at Stanford, finding success with the academic limitations placed on him was impressive, but that’s not where the best argument comes from.

It was his work in San Francisco. Before he arrived they went 7-9, 8-8, and 6-10 the three seasons prior. He took a 6-10 team, with Alex Smith as his QB and went 13-3, losing to the Giants in the NFC Championship game.

2012 saw the 49ers go 11-4-1, going all the way to the Super Bowl (one the Broncos should have been in) and losing to the Ravens. Year three Harbaugh’s 49ers went 12-4 and went to the NFC Championship for the 3rd year in a row.

After a down year of 8-8 he was fired by Jed York, and the 49ers did a nosedive to 5-11 without him.

Harbaugh also brought Michigan back to relevance. They went from being a doormat for their Ohio State rivals to winning two in a row and being talked about yearly as a National Championship contender.

Consider this my plea for the Walton-Penner group to throw all their weight behind bringing Jim Harbaugh back to the NFL. He has the personality to match Russell Wilson’s goofiness. He can turn a franchise around. He has a proven track record. What more do we have to see?

It has to be Harbaugh or bust.