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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh already has declared, in colorful fashion, that he won’t be returning to the NFL in 2017. But given the whole “not going to be the Alabama coach” thing, it’s still risky to take anything he says at face value.

In this case, the denial is the truth, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. Rapoport says that Harbaugh won’t be returning to the NFL in 2017, but that he eventually could be back.

Keep this fact in mind when pondering the former 49ers coach’s future: He has never stayed more than four years in any of his coaching stops.

Rapoport suggests that the job to watch is in Chicago. In 1987, the Bears made Harbaugh a first-round draft choice. He spent seven seasons with the Bears, four with the Colts, one with the Ravens, and two with the Chargers.

Some league insiders have speculated to PFT that Harbaugh could eventually coach the Colts, which would put him back in the organization he nearly took to the Super Bowl in 1995 — and reunite him with former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Wherever he goes, it’s safe to assume Harbaugh will make huge money when he returns to the NFL.