Top 10 Highest Paid Coaches
When people look at contracts and contract values they are most likely focusing on players. A lot goes on behind the scenes that is mostly unnoticed on the coaching front. Take a look at the list of highest-paid Coaches in 2019.
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1. Bill Belichick ($12 Million)
Belichick is one of the most successful coaches in the history of football and probably across all sports. The Patriots have won 10 games in 17 straight seasons and are consistently a threat to win a Super Bowl every season. This coming year will be his first without Tom Brady but we expect he will be able to find a way to still be successful with Cam Newton under center. On average with his current contract, Belichick makes $12 million dollars per year.
2. Gregg Popovich ($11 Million)
Gregg Popovich is at the tail end of his career but he saw plenty of success with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili back in the day. His career win percentage is hovering near 70% and even though his Spurs teams aren’t as talented now, he is still regarded as one of the best coaches around. He gets everything he can out of his players, players love what he stands for, and ownership pays him what he is worth. That number is around $11 million dollars per year.
3. Pete Carroll ($11 Million)
Pete Carroll is getting close to 70 years old but he hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to slow down on the coaching front. The Seahawks are still competing and with Russell Wilson, they will likely always be in the hunt. Since leaving USC, Carroll has found a home in Seattle and became 1 of only 3 coaches who has won a Super Bowl and a college national championship. Carroll has been rewarded for his efforts to the tune of $11 million dollars per season.
4. Doc Rivers ($10 Million)
The 2nd NBA coach to make our list is the current Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers. When Clippers owner Steve Ballmer bought the team he was successfully able to lure then Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers over to the west coast. Rivers has more power than the average coach and his salary represents his duties. Doc makes about $10 million dollars per season and with the talent, they have now, the Clippers will be expected to bring home multiple titles over the next couple of seasons.
5. Jon Gruden ($10 Million)
One of the most controversial coaching contracts is that of current Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden. Gruden had been out of coaching for many years and was very popular in the booth for ESPN’s Monday Night Football. He had been tied to rumors for many years but he finally pulled the trigger and signed with the Raiders to lead their rebuild as they move to Las Vegas. He has one of the lowest win %’s as a coach on this list but it looks like the Raiders are already starting to turn it around. Only time will tell to see if this $10 million dollar a year deal will end up being worth it.
6. Sean Payton ($9.75 Million)
Sean Payton and the Saints have been running the NFC South for years now and Payton is well compensated for it. He recently signed a contract extension that pays him around $9.75 million dollars per year. It will be intriguing to watch in the coming years with Drew Brees’ career coming to an end if Payton will be able to stay successful. However, given what Payton has shown in this past I don’t think we will ever be able to say they are overpaying for him.
7. Steve Kerr ($9.5 Million)
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Keer has one of the highest win percentages on this list, around .755, and it shows. The Warriors were borderline unbeatable in recent years and we expect them to return to that form next season when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson return. The Warriors should be consistently competing for a title with a fully healthy roster as we saw in the past and Kerr very well deserves to be the 3rd highest-paid coach in the NBA.
8. Nick Saban ($9.4 Million)
The first college coach to make our list is, of course, Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Saban carries a win percentage of .791 and even though college players aren’t paid, Saban sure is. He signed a deal worth $75 million dollars over 8 years and that doesn’t include a bonus for winning the national championship and other milestones. Whether you agree or not, Nick Saban continues to cash big checks from the University of Alabama.
9. Dabo Swinney ($9.3 Million)
Another college coach that has seen his salary go up and up in recent years is Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. Swinney has led the Tigers to 2 nationals championships and is the current owner of the largest contract in NCAA history. The deal is worth $93 million over 10 years and from a Clemson perspective, it is well worth it. Dabo has put Clemson on the map and constantly competing vs heavyweights such as Alabama and Ohio State. The $9.3 million dollars average salary may be slightly less than Saban but they both make huge impacts for their universities.
10. Mike Krzyzewski ($9 Million)
The only college basketball coach to make our list is legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K has stayed at Duke for the long term and they reward him with $9 million dollars per year on average. Despite deals to coach in the NBA coach K has stayed loyal and he continues to win even as the times change. Duke constantly brings in some of the top recruits in the country, most recently Zion Williamson, and are in the hunt for national titles every season. Not only does Krzyzewski coach Duke but he had been a longtime coach for the USA men’s basketball team that has won multiple Olympic gold medals. With his 5 national championship titles, nobody would argue with you that Mike Krzyzewski deserves to be the highest-paid college basketball coach in America.
