Dolphins not interested in Jim Harbaugh chase this year

There will always be rumors about the Miami Dolphins being interested in Jim Harbaugh whenever a potential coaching change is considered. It stems from the Michigan link between Harbaugh and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, and manifested itself in the ill-timed interview of Harbaugh while Tony Sparano was employed as the team's head coach. Now, everytime there appears the possibility of coaching change with the Dolphins, Harbaugh's name immediately comes to the forefront.

The Dolphins fired head coach Joe Philbin last week, appointing tight ends coach Dan Campbell as the interim head coach. While logic suggests Campbell will be given a full opportunity to drop the "interim" tag when the season ends, that has not stopped people from already considering Miami making a run at Harbaugh, who is in his first year as the head coach at Michigan.

According to TheMMQB.com's Peter King, who appeared on NBC's Football Night in America last night, that talk may as well end. King, according to an article on ProFootballTalk, states the Dolphins will not consider Harbaugh this offseason.

There is no denying Ross would love to have Harbaugh coach the Dolphins. Ross is a huge financial supporter of his alma mater, where the business school bears his name, and it is likely he would not want to pursue the head coach of the school, hurting his favorite college team in order to find a coach for his pro team.

Harbaugh may not even consider an NFL job this year. He was excited about returning to college, and about coaching at Michigan, where he played from 1983 to 1986. He may decide to stay at Michigan, where he has full control of all football decisions, rather than venture back into the NFL.

Whatever the case, Harbaugh appears to be off the list of candidates the Dolphins will consider after the season.