Andrew Luck coming back to Stanford; Harbaugh is still undecided

I wrote earlier today how the Carolina Panthers were ready to draft Andrew Luck. If only I would have waited a few hours before I posted that post then I would not have had to write this entry.

The Carolina Panthers were probably all set for the first round of the NFL Draft. They finally were going to get the quarterback they have been looking for since the demise of Jake Delhomme. Funny thing happened on the way to the draft.

Andrew Luck said no thanks in a one sentence statement.

“I am committed to earning my degree in architectural design from Stanford University and am on track to accomplish this at the completion of the spring quarter of 2012,” he said.

Luck announced his return to Stanford on a day where the head coach of Stanford has been the sports story of the day.

Jim Harbaugh, the current head coach of Stanford, is being courted to the NFL by three teams.

The courting first started last night when he met with the San Francisco 49ers brass for at an undisclosed location. The 49ers reportedly offered Harbaugh a contract worth about $6 million annually.

Then the Miami Dolphins got involved. Dolphins’ owner and former Michigan Wolverine, Steve Ross, jumped on a private jet with Miami executives Jeff Ireland and Carl Peterson to come out and visit with Harbaugh today and reportedly offer him the largest contract that a NFL head coach has ever received.

But the courtship did not end there.

Former Stanford Cardinal quarterback and Super Bowl Champion, John Elway, is now a top executive for the Denver Broncos and they are interested in Harbaugh. No word if a meeting has been scheduled with the Broncos or if Harbaugh is interested but it is likely he will meet with the team “out of courtesy.”

It is not known whether the return of Andrew Luck to Stanford will make a change in Harbaugh’s decision to leave to the NFL but all indications is that he is open to it. According to Scott Reiss of CSN Bay Area, Harbaugh met with the Stanford president to hear their offer.

Panthers ready to draft Stanford's Andrew Luck

Although Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has yet to declare for the NFL Draft, he is listed as the No. 1 pick on all mock drafts.  He will be the first of four or five quarterbacks to be drafted in April’s NFL Draft.

No matter how bad other teams would love to have Andrew Luck, it is unlikely that any team could put together a package that could net them the first overall pick from the Carolina Panthers. 

The Panthers spent two draft picks last year on quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike but neither player emerged as a legit NFL starting quarterback.  It would be hard for the Panthers to pass on a future NFL star like Luck even with those guys on their roster.

The Panthers fired former head coach John Fox after nine years as the head coach and are in the process of looking for a new head coach.  Owner Jerry Richardson said that they are going to be looking at NFL assistants to fill that role as the new coach.

The Panthers have requested to interview San Franciso 49ers defensive coordinator Mike Manusky, New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.