DETROIT — Jim Harbaugh took a look, as he said he would, and the Vikings looked too. Whatever they saw in each other wasn't enough to make a fit, and the conclusion may have stunned some.
It probably shouldn't. Harbaugh will be back at Michigan, and the truth is, it likely worked out best for both sides. Michigan needed to know definitively and quickly, and he announced it Wednesday night, the same day he interviewed in Minnesota. The Vikings needed a stabilizing coach for a new regime, and perhaps found Harbaugh's unpredictability or peculiarity (or price), more than they wanted to handle.
Ultimately, it doesn't really matter who spurned who, or if it was simply a mutual exploration. Harbaugh got the NFL dalliance out of his system for now, although you can never say forever. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Harbaugh told AD Warde Manuel "this would not be a re-occurring issue and he would stay at Michigan as long as it wants him."
