Bill Belichick, North Carolina contract details: Salary, length, bonuses and buyout make for unusual terms

North Carolina made a significant financial commitment to lure legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick to Chapel Hill. 

UNC and the 72-year old Belichick agreed to a five-year deal, the school announced. The yearly salary for Belichick (base salary plus supplemental income) amounts to $10 million, a big jump from the $5 million UNC paid Mack Brown, a national championship-winning coach, in his final season at the school. While the deal is for five years, only the first three years are guaranteed — which is an unusually short contract in college football. 

“The three-year deal … not sure kids will go there knowing he is likely gone soon,” a coaching agent told CBS Sports. “But that’s the beauty of the portal.”

Said another coaching agent: “In the portal era, maybe coaching stability doesn’t matter as much as it used to but it still matters some. I just don’t see how it works.”

Another curiosity of Belichick’s contract is the buyout to leave is reduced to $1 million after June 1 of 2025, opening the door for an early exit back to the NFL if an opportunity arose (NFL teams are highly unlikely to hire coaches post-draft and free agency, meaning the $1 million buyout would really come into play only after two college seasons). Belichick brushed aside concerns about his age and commitment to college football during his introductory press conference Thursday in Chapel Hill, saying, “I didn’t come here to leave.”

Only seven coaches in FBS made over $10 million in 2024, a group that does not even include Ohio State coach Ryan Day or LSU coach Brian Kelly. 

Schools dole out contracts of five years, perhaps six if the coach is particularly desirable, for recruiting purposes. Purdue recently gave new coach Barry Odom a six-year contract, for instance. 

Belichick’s bonus opportunities are enticing and as read as follows:

Regular Season (greater of the following amounts)

• Win eight games: $150,000
• Win nine games: $200,000
• Win 10 games: $250,000
• Win 11 games: $300,000
• Win 12 games: $350,000

Conference Championship Game (greater of following amounts)

• Appearance/win ($200,000/$300,000)

Postseason bonus (greater of following amounts)

• Non-College Football Playoff/any bowl appearance: $150,000
• Non-CFP Tier 1/Elite bowl appearance: $350,000
• CFP participant: $750,000
• CFP quarterfinal appearance: $1 million
• CFP semifinal appearance: $1.25 million
• CFP championship game appearance: $1.5 million
• CFP national champion: $1.75 million

Final CFP poll (greater of following amounts)

• Top 25: $250,000
• Top 20: $300,000
• Top 15: $375,000
• Top 10: $425,000
• Top 5: $500,000

The legendary eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach has never coached in college football before committing to take over UNC’s program. The former New England Patriots coach has reportedly been interested in a succession plan that would eventually pass the job to his son, Steve, who currently serves as Jedd Fisch’s defensive coordinator at Washington. 

Belichick, who worked with legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban while with the Cleveland Browns, won 333 games in 29 seasons as an NFL head coach. He was reportedly making $20 million annually as the New England Patriots’ coach before being let go following the 2023 season. He interviewed multiple times for the Atlanta Falcons opening that eventually went to Raheem Morris, but after he didn’t get an NFL coaching position last cycle, he has spent the 2024 season working in a variety of media roles including ESPN’s ManningCast. 

Belichick will replace the 73-year-old Brown who was fired after going 44-33 in six seasons at UNC. It was Brown’s second stint leading the UNC program after a successful run 1988-97 that included six bowl appearances. 

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