The Average Salary of an NFL Head Coach

The salaries of head coaches in the NFL are highly guarded. The exception is when a coach is hired and contract figures are made public. NFL coaches are paid on a contract basis, meaning each coach signs an agreement to work for a certain number of years for a certain overall compensation package. A coach's contract specifies base pay and often includes additional bonuses for performance.

Head Coaches

The average pay for the 32 head coaches in the NFL is $3.25 million annually, according to Bob LaMonte, president and founder of Professional Sports Representation. In 2010, LaMonte represented eight coaches in the league, according to Sports Business Daily. Coaches making the move to an NFL job for the first time average lower salaries, typically around $2 million per year.

Top Salaries

Head coaches make considerably more money than other NFL coaches (such as coordinators and assistants). New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick had the top salary among all coaches in 2010 with annual pay of $7.5 million. Two other prominent coaching names in the NFL also topped the salary list. Mike Shanahan (Washington Redskins) was earning $7 million in his first season with the team in 2010, and Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks) also brought home $7 million.

Other Head Coaches

Some prominent NFL coaches who were nearing the ends of their contracts had their salary figures released. John Fox (Carolina Panthers) was in the final year of his contract and was to earn $6 million in 2010; Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears) was scheduled to make $5.5 million in each of the final two years of his contract, and Ken Whisenhunt (Arizona Cardinals) was making $2 million yearly through 2011.

Coordinators

The next-highest average on the NFL coaching staff belongs to offensive and defensive coordinators, who can bring home seven-digit salaries. Marvin Lewis received the first million-dollar contract for a defensive coordinator when he joined the Redskins in 2003. That trend has continued, and most teams have a coordinator earning at least $1 million per year as of 2010.

Assistant Coaches

The handful of other assistant coaches on each NFL team earns an average of less than $1 million per year. Pay can vary based on experience. These salaries do not have to be released by the league, and exact numbers are not available.

References

• Pats Pulpit: Bill Belichick is Highest Paid Coach in All of Pro Football
• Los Angeles Times: NFL Assistants Get Big Bucks
• Sports Business Daily: USA Today Finds MLB Managers Earn Far Less Than NFL, NBA Coaches
• "Kansas City Star;" First Batch of NFL Coaching Changes Coming Soon; Randy Covitz; January 2010
• "Arizona Republic;" Arizona Cardinals, Ken Whisenhunt Working on Extension; Kent Somers; February 2010