Are College Football Coaches Paid More than NFL coaches?

24 December 2021

College football coaches get paid more than coaches in NFL. If you look at the public universities, the coaches there get the highest salaries in most states. Some of them like Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban earn more than $7 million each year, and then Mike Krzyzewski and Coach K make 49.7 million. These salaries are proof that players get nothing compared to this.

College coaches earn more than the players get in scholarships

In the case of power 5 coaches, they make more than the number of player scholarships. The power-5 college coaches make $440 million in total while 20,000 players get a total of $426 million through scholarships. On average the coaches make $823,000 each year while a player makes around $20,000.

According to these numbers, it’s simple to understand that Athletes get exploited by NCAA. There are very few players who make more than their coaches.

Football is a cash pit

Top college basketball trainers get paid the same as football coaches, but their players make a lot less money. Louisville is a famous basketball team and they bring total revenue of $40 million each year. While the Texas football coaches made a $92 million profit in 2015.

In recent years only 123 of the 346 college-level basketball teams are hugely profitable. The other 223 teams do not make much and they are normally broken. If you look at some power 5 basketball teams they are also not that profitable. In Oregon state, they lost $3 million in 2020.

Other than basketball there are other sports where the coach salaries are less. If you search for the information on Michigan state their baseball team does not make money and their main coach earns only $150,000. But if you look at the women’s basketball team their team and coach make money, but many coaches do not get six-figure.

However, college and basketball coaches are paid a great sum, and mostly when it’s the power 5 teams. On the other hand, small schools and non-revenue sports coaches do not even get 5 figure salaries. But when you turn your attention to the college level, the coaches make more than the players who do not even make any money from the games.

NFL Coach payments

A good and successful NFL team will not make it without a coach and a supporting person. Other than college coaches an NFL coach also makes more recently. In the previous years, NFL coaches might not have earned that much but after back-to-back successes in NFL games, the coaches are becoming richer every year.

So how much do NFL head coaches make every year? The average is $6,692 million and for supportive coaches, it’s $5.5 million, which is still lower than college football coaches ‘ salaries. However, many NFL coaches still get paid higher salaries than college ones. Let’s take a look at the below list of some top coaches in the NFL.

Top paid NFL coaches of 2021:

  • Bill Belichick from New England Patriots: His annual salary is $12.5, and he is by far one of the best coaches in the history of the NFL. He joined the team in 2000 and after that, he lead the team towards glory and has brought 6 super bowl wins. The annual salary is mainly from respect towards the coach. His appearance is straightforward and very mysterious, which is a bit sketchy for a head trainer. He is 68 but he has a sharp mind and he is wise enough to make the best strategies for each match.
  • Jon Gruden of Las Vegas Raiders: He earns $10 million per year. He is another admirable coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, and he worked as a head coach for two periods and still going on. The main reason for the salary is that he a perfect control over his team, and that’s what led them to the wins in Super Bowl. He has earned the best reputation as a coach and also worked as a commentator in the early stages of his carer. His valuable knowledge is very important for the team.
  • Pete Carroll of Seattle Seahawks: Pete’s per year salary is $11 million, and he is also in the second rank among the highest-paid NFL coaches. His cheerful and energetic demeanor helps the players a lot, and he connects with them very well. He joined the team in 2010 and still doing his best work.
  • Sean Payton from New Orleans Saints: He earns $9.8 million. He has been very successful in his career. He led the team to win Super Bowl and his team gives him the right respect.
  • John Harbaugh from Baltimore Ravens: The annual salary is $9 million. He has brought better success to the team. He is giving wins to the team since 2008. He has a good training attitude and this has led the team towards success. They are winning many games under this coach and the salary is the respect the team pays their trainer.
  • Matt Rhule of Carolina Panthers: He is another highest-paid coach who earns $8.5 million a year. Before starting his career as a coach he was a football player. The owners of big football companies favor him a lot. Although the coach’s career had a lot of ups and downs because he made only one victory in 2017. After this, he tried to keep up the winning but he’s still trying.
  • Sean Mcvay from Los Angeles Rams: He is like Matt and also earns $8.5 million a year. He is the youngest coach in the NFL at the age of thirty. He proved that younger age doesn’t have to do anything with winning games. Within a month of his becoming the coach of the team, he proved his worth. In the second year of his being the coach, he led his team to Super Bowl. He’s earned his popularity and will get more offers from other teams if he ever becomes unemployed.

These are some top-paid NFL coaches who earn the highest salaries than college coaches. However, the top college football trainers still earn more than the NFL tagged coaches, but then some new rules are about the change the situation very soon. In the meantime, you can get all the important information from this article.