Dolphins out in unpredictable pursuit of Harbaugh

OK, I better post this newspaper story here before it becomes irrelevant — Harbaugh’s in Denver, no, actually, he’s in Tampa Bay! …

On Day 2 of Harbaugh Hysteria, two suitors made their pitch, another got in line and the 49ers, the jilted first-day favorites, may have quietly moved back in the hunt as the pursuit of Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh ramped up in intensity and intrigue.

Niners. Broncos. And – oh my – perceived longshot Stanford, suddenly, had shifted into the driver’s seat by Thursday night in the quest to secure the coach who has launched a thousand reports.

Not that Stanford should get too comfortable.

On Wednesday, the 49ers appeared close to signing Harbaugh, 47, before the deep-pocketed Dolphins swooped in with a late-day phone call.

On Thursday, Miami, prepared to make Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in the NFL, seemingly began the day as a good bet to win the prize. At 7:53 p.m., however, the latest stunner in the two-day sweepstakes arrived: FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported, via Twitter, that Dolphins billionaire owner Stephen Ross had decided to retain coach Tony Sparano after meeting throughout the day with Harbaugh and his agent, David Dunn.

With Miami’s unexpected exodus, Stanford continued its resurgence.

Given little chance to retain their fourth-year coach with NFL aspirations, Stanford has reached in its wallet and, perhaps, received a little Luck.

Harbaugh met with Stanford officials Thursday morning and their compensation package, with bonuses, eclipsed the 49ers offer, according to the NFL Network. The San Jose Mercury News has reported San Francisco’s unofficial last offer to Harbaugh was about $5 million annually, without bonuses.

Stanford’s chances of keeping their coach might have also been bolstered Thursday by sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck’s decision to stay in college instead of becoming the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. With Luck in place, the Cardinal figure to be national-title contenders next season, particularly if Harbaugh returns.

But if one All-American Stanford quarterback could keep him in Palo Alto, a former All-American Cardinal signal-caller hopes to lure him to the Rocky Mountains.

John Elway, the Broncos new vice president of football operations, is attempting to arrange an interview with Harbuagh.

Elway, who officially entered the front office Wednesday, is overseeing the search for a new head coach. According to the Mercury News, Harbaugh told the 49ers on Wednesday that he wanted to speak with Ross, Miami’s owner, out of respect. It’s hard to imagine he won’t extend Elway the same courtesy.

Elway, if unproven, could give the Broncos the kind of credibility that Harbaugh might perceive to be lacking in San Francisco.

According to the NFL Network, Harbaugh, who has never been an NFL head coach, has concerns regarding the Niners’ front office, which features 29-year-old owner Jed York and recently appointed general manager Trent Baalke.

According to ESPN, former Broncos coach Josh McDaniels wasn’t enamored with San Francisco’s power structure. McDaniels wasn’t interested when the Niners reached out to him as a possible candidate this week.

• Former Niners head coach Mike Singletary will interview with Vikings coach Leslie Frazier. Singletary is presumably interviewing for the position of linebackers coach. Singletary and Frazier were teammates with the Chicago Bears and are longtime friends.

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