Harbaugh done chasing NFL return: Vikings interest 'a one-time thing'

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh appeared on the verge of a dramatic return to the NFL, only for a move to the Minnesota Vikings to fall apart at the last minute.

Harbaugh, reportedly the favorite to succeed Mike Zimmer, flew to Minnesota on Wednesday for an in-person interview that was widely viewed as a formality.

But Harbaugh didn't receive a job offer, sources told Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press, after feeling there wasn't a mutual level of enthusiasm for a potential partnership.

"I called Warde (Manuel, Michigan's athletic director) and I asked him if he wanted me to be the head coach. And he said, 'Yes, 100%.' And I said, 'OK then. That's what I want to do,'" Harbaugh told Albom on Thursday.

"And I told him, 'Warde, this will not be a reoccurring theme every year. This was a one-time thing."

Harbaugh said the allure of another run at winning a Super Bowl after falling one win short with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012 led him to consider leaving his alma mater.

"For better or for worse, it was something I wanted to explore. I went in thinking, 'I'm gonna have 100% conviction on this, and if (the Vikings) have 100% conviction on this, then it's something I'm gonna do," Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh is coming off his best campaign at Michigan since his arrival in 2015. He led the Wolverines to their first-ever playoff berth after going 12-2, including a first win over rival Ohio State during his reign.

The 58-year-old is now focused solely on achieving more success with his team.

"Sure, the Super Bowl is the greatest prize in our sport," he said. "But winning a national championship – that's pretty darn great. Let's do that. There was a pull to the NFL because I got that close to the Super Bowl, but this was the time (to try and return). And this is the last time. Now let's go chase college football's greatest prize."

The Vikings are reportedly expected to hire Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell after Super Bowl LVI.