Just when it seemed the Jim Harbaugh bidding war couldn't get any crazier, the Broncos got involved.
The Miami Dolphins have been all the rage today, and if I learned anything over the summer, it's that the last team mentioned in a big bidding war is usually going to be the one that winds up with the prize. I'm talking, of course, about my Chicago Bulls missing out on the LeBron sweepstakes this summer. In the two weeks leading up to "The Decision", my Bulls were all the rage, and it was all but a lock that LeBron would be taking his talents to the South Side, not South Beach.
We all saw how that worked out, and about a week before the decision, Stephen A. Smith said that Miami was the spot, and that the Big Three would all be signing in Miami and taking less money. I thought he was crazy, but sure enough, it happened.
Now, this feels eerily similar, as it appeared just hours ago that Miami was going to offer Jim Harbaugh $8 million, and he would accept the offer to coach the Dolphins. It seems silly though that Miami has not only not complied with the Rooney Rule, they have not even fired their coach.
I have never understood the lure of the 49ers, though proximity to home has got to be a big draw for Harbaugh. Even less than San Francisco, I thought Michigan was a major longshot at the start, and I think that was a pretty good assessment.
Now, amidst this apparent three way bidding war between the Stanford Cardinal, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers, the Denver Broncos have once again surfaced as a team that will vie for Harbaugh's services.
Don't get me wrong, I would certainly not pay Harbaugh $8 million per year, but the Broncos might, and it sounds as though they will at least cover their bases and attempt to interview the highly coveted coach. I don't know how this will all play out, but the Broncos have done their due diligence.
By the end of the weekend, they will have complied with the Rooney Rule, and they could certainly be the team that swoops in and hires Harbaugh. I don't know if it's worth it, but I trust John Elway and the new look front office to make the right call.