John Harbaugh will not be taking his talents to South Beach.
After days of intense speculation, the Miami Dolphins announced late Thursday evening that Tony Sparano will be retained as head coach of the Dolphins. An official announcement will come Friday afternoon.
Harbaugh was first linked to the Dolphins on Monday evening when Dolphins owner Stephen Ross met with the Stanford head coach at the site of the Orange Bowl.
After the San Francisco 49ers had been the early favorites to land Harbaugh’s services, the Dolphins reportedly offered Harbaugh a major contract worth approximately $8 million per season which would have made him the highest paid coach in the National Football League.
Harbaugh met again on Thursday with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross in the San Francisco area. Ross then met with Harbaugh’s agent in Southern California late Thursday evening but came away from the meetings under the impression that Sparano remained the best man for the job.
It has been an incredibly busy several days for Harbaugh as he was initially linked to the University of Michigan position, followed by the 49ers opening, and then the Dolphins massive offer. He now sits in a position with an offer for approximately $5-5.5 million per season from the San Francisco 49ers, a request for a meeting from University of Stanford alum and newly hired Vice President of Football Operations for the Denver Broncos, John Elway, or the option to return back to Stanford for one more year with star Quarterback Andrew Luck.
For the Dolphins, after rumors surfaced of a $7 million per year offer to ESPN Monday Night Football analyst John Gruden, and the saga of the John Harbaugh negotiations, the team will turn back to Tony Sparano as its head coach. Sparano currently has one year remaining on his contract.
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