The University of Arkansas has released the offer letter new Razorback Coach Bret Bielema agreed to prior to accepting the position.
Bielema will earn $3.2 million per year for six-years. Plus, the typical perks — two cars, moving expenses, country club memberships. If Bielema leaves for another job, there’s a $3 million buyout in his first year, a $2.5 million in the second, $2 million in his third, $1.5 million in his fourth, $1 million in his fifth and $500,000 in his sixth. He’s not allowed to take another job in the SEC during the six-year term.
Bielema’s deal with the Razorbacks is a pay raise from Wisconsin, where according USA Today’s college football coaches salary database, he made $2.6 million, but not the massive one some were projecting. Still, the salary puts him in the top tier of SEC coaches, behind only Alabama’s Nick Saban ($5.36 million), LSU’s Les Miles ($3.75 million) and South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier ($3.55 million). Of course Tennessee is still looking for a coach.
By comparison, former ASU Coach Gus Malzahn will be paid $2.3 million annually over five years to coach Auburn.
The offer sheet makes no mention of performance bonuses.
UPDATE: Here are some of the details about Bielema’s contract incentives.
He’ll receive:
$100,000 for winning an SEC Championship Game
$350,000 for winning a National Championship Game
$300,000 for an appearance in a National Championship Game
$200,000 for an appearance in a semifinal playoff game (beginning in the 2014 season)
$150,000 for an appearance in a non-title BCS bowl game (or Sugar Bowl beginning in the 2014 season)
$100,000 for an appearance in the Capital One or Cotton bowls
$50,000 for an appearance in any other bowl game
$25,000 for Coach of the Year in the SEC
$25,000 for Coach of the Year nationally
There’s more in Exhibit A at the very bottom of the contract, including which incentives are cumulative, as well as details about academic incentives. The most Bielema could be awarded in a single year is $700,000. That would happen in the event that he and the team win the SEC and national titles, that he wins SEC and national Coach of the Year and that he hits all of the academic achievement incentives, which max out at $200,000.