Highest-Paid Coaches 2022: College Football Pay Soars but NFL Still Tops

There has been significant turnover among the highest-paid coaches. New contracts lifted coaches like Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley and Mike Vrabel onto the list. Three of the top earners were fired. The top 10 coaches have combined for 26 championships. The next worst regular season performance is for Pederson and Kyle Shanahan. They have a career .505 win percentage. Sean Payton and Bruce Arians walked away from their high-paying NFL gigs in New Orleans and Tampa Bay. Josh McDaniels was fired in Denver after less than two full seasons. He received a second chance after 10 seasons as Belichick’s offensive coordinator in the New England.

The highest-paid coaches in U.S. sports are in college football.

Bill Belichick is the highest paid coach in the NFL. He has 327 wins, 20 behind Don Shula.

Pete Carroll earns $15 million a year as a head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. DraftKings had Seattle's win total at 5.5 entering the season, but the team topped that mark in its ninth game.

Sean McVay became the youngest Super Bowl-winning coach ever when the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in February. He already held the record for youngest to appear when L.A. lost to the Pats three years earlier. The Rams tore up his contract for a second time and gave him a new five-year deal worth $14 million.

Gregg Popovich has been coaching for 27 years and has won 11 titles. His current contract is worth $13 million.

Mike Tomlin's current contract runs through the 2024 season. Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to have a losing record for the first time in Tomlins' 16 seasons at the helm.

Andy Reid is earning $12 million a year. Reid led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title in 50 years.

John Harbaugh got a raise in 2022 as part of a new three-year deal. Last season's 8-9 campaign was only his second losing record since he was hired in 2008. His brother Jim's new deal at Michigan is worth $8.34 million annually.

Nick Saban's contract at Alabama has been increased to $11.8 million. His compensation includes $100,000 annually to his foundation.

Dabo Swinney got a new 10-year, $115 million deal.

Kirby Smart's Georgia team won the national championship in January. He was rewarded with a new 10-year deal worth $11.25 million.

Lincoln Riley was making $7.5 million a year at Oklahoma. He was lured away with a 10-year deal at USC. Riley coached a pair of Heisman Trophy winners at OU.

Brian Kelly left South Bend for Baton Rouge and got a nine-figure payday.

Josh McDaniels is a popular target because of his success running the Patriots offense. He accepted the Colts job in 2018 before changing his mind. His then-agent, Bob Lamonte, dropped McDoniels after the flip-flop.

Kyle Shanahan's contract with the San Francisco 49ers was extended for six years at $10 million annually. His father Mike won 170 games and two Super Bowls in 20 years.

Ryan Day has the highest winning percentage in college football at 0.900. He got a new seven-year deal in 2022 worth $9.5 million on average.

Jimbo Fisher is the third highest-paid college football coach. He earns $9.5 million a year. His current contract is 10 years, $95 million.

Mel Tucker's contract at Colorado was worth $3 million annually. He got a raise to $5.5 million after one season and then $9. 5 million before the end of his second season. Michigan State finished the 2022 season 5-7.

Mike Vrabel was one of the NFL's lowest-paid coaches when he was hired in 2018. He is on track for his fifth winning season and fourth straight playoff appearance. V rabel got a new deal this offseason.

Steve Kerr has won four NBA titles in his first eight years with Golden State Warriors. He has the highest winning percentage among active NBA coaches at 0.677.

Matt Rhule was fired by the Panthers after 38 games. Rhules was a hot commodity on the college market and landed an eight-year, $74 million contract with Nebraska.

Doc Rivers is one of the NBA's 15 greatest coaches. He is also one the highest-paid coaches in the sport.

Lane Kiffin is the newest addition to the $9 million-a-year coaches club.

Mark Stoops has a contract extension through 2031. He earns $400,000 a year and gets $8.6 million in other compensation. Kentucky just won its sixth game in seven years.

John Calipari earns $8.6 million a year as a college basketball coach. His 10-year contract is worth $86 million.

Doug Pederson was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars after Urban Meyer's disastrous 11-month tenure. Pedersen won a Super Bowl in his second season as the Philadelphia Eagles coach.

Erik Spoelstra earns $8.5 million a year as a coach of the Miami Heat. His tenure with the Heat is the second longest in the NBA behind only Popovich's with Spurs.

James Franklin was rumored to be a candidate for the USC and LSU openings. He was offered a 10-year, $85 million extension at Penn State.

Ron Rivera was hired by Washington Commanders ahead of the 2020 season. He is one of NFL's most respected coaches.

Sean McDermott earns $8.5 million a year. He was hired in 2017 and is headed for a fifth playoff appearance in six seasons.