Nothing overly positive came from Jim Harbaugh’s talks with the Minnesota Vikings. There wasn’t anything uplifting or reassuring when it came to linking him to the Las Vegas Raiders or Chicago Bears, either. It was all a mess.

Harbaugh, though, had a change of heart and chose to remain at Michigan, rather than pursuing his self-proclaimed dream of winning a Super Bowl. Evidently, he’s content with trying to win a national title at the collegiate level instead of coaching the Vikings or another NFL squad. He said that NFL talks were a thing of the past and that he’s committed to Michigan.

However, during all of that, and not necessarily a direct result of Harbaugh’s behavior, Michigan lost defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Macdonald rejoined the Baltimore Ravens, while Gattis — who was quite unhappy at the end of it all at UM — assumed OC duties with the Miami Hurricanes.

Two great coordinators. Two big pieces to the overall puzzle. Both gone.

Other coaches and assistants have been added, namely the combination of Sherrone Moore-Matt Weiss as OCs, and the newly hired Jesse Minter of Vanderbilt (also of Baltimore Ravens lineage) as the defensive coordinator.

Thought the pieces are being put back together, things aren’t sunshiny and rosy for Michigan. Considering this offseason, the upcoming season will be the most challenging for Harbaugh’s Wolverines.

Prior to leaving Ann Arbor, Gattis texted Wolverines players with a not-so-wonderful departing message, further proving that there was a lot going on behind the scenes, and it wasn’t all good.

“Unfortunately the past few weeks [have] told a different story to me about the very little appreciation I have here from administration. In life I would never advise anyone to be where they are not wanted…” Gattis texted, per ESPN.

There are a lot of unsubstantiated claims and rumors floating around about Gattis, so we’re not going to dive into the rumor pool. But one thing is certain: He didn’t leave on good terms and there is most certainly bad blood between he and Harbaugh, who can be difficult to work with for an extended period of time. Just check the track record, for starters; secondly, Harbaugh came to Michigan with a reputation for being … well… Harbaugh.

He didn’t have an amicable split with the San Francisco 49ers. Things got heated with he and Michigan AD Warde Manuel. During Harbaugh’s 7-year reign in Ann Arbor, some coordinators and assistants have had hostile exchanges that led to early splits. Years ago, in the beginning, Harbaugh and former passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch had a difference of opinions. The same was true for Tim Drevno, the former offensive line coach.

Harbaugh isn’t the easiest guy to please or work with on a daily basis.

This year will definitely present some challenges. Recruiting ties have to be re-established, or newly created, and overall chemistry with such a shift in staff members could be a pain for a few months, or longer.

Right now, Michigan and Harbaugh are easy targets for speculative material. Harbaugh’s unpredictability, something that reportedly turned off some NFL teams, will now have to be addressed at the beginning and end of every season.

He doesn’t seem like the type to give up on a dream, so don’t rule out the NFL in the future, regardless of the current company line. He did just say, just weeks prior to NFL talk, that he’d coach Michigan for free and never wanted to leave — so take that for what it’s worth.

The Wolverines just came off one of their best seasons in program history, claiming a Big Ten title and downing Ohio State. They hadn’t won an outright conference championship since 2003 and hadn’t beaten Ohio State since 2011. Qualifiers for the College Football Playoff, the Wolverines also provided a glimpse of what could be on the horizon.

Is Michigan, after all of the drama and 7 years of waiting, finally a real-deal national contender?

Considering this past season, it’s mind-boggling to think that the prevailing headlines surrounding Michigan are related to stability, trusting Harbaugh, the loss of key assistants. Really, at least ideally for UM, the headlines should be about developing stars, how Harbaugh has Michigan on track, the formation of a coaching corps that would push the Wolverines toward intended progress.

Nope.

We’re talking about Michigan has to clean up this whole Harbaugh-NFL mess.