Most NFL coach salaries aren’t officially disclosed. However, there are sources that report approximate contracts when at all possible. Normally this is the hometown newspapers, but I’ve also found data on Twitter, Forbes, Pro Football Talk, and Spotrac.
Using the information that is available, we came up with the approximate salaries below.
What is one thing that stands out? The higher the pay the better the Super Bowl odds their team typically has.
The Patriots’ Bill Belichick is reportedly the highest-paid coach in the NFL, though no official details about his compensation or the current term of his contract have been made public. The same goes for several other coaches on the list, but these are the best estimates currently available. Jon Gruden made headlines with his publicly announced 10-year, $100 million contract in 2018, but most insiders agree that he is likely not the most well-compensated coach per year. The most shocking part of that contract is the 10-year term, unprecedented in the modern NFL.
Also included are each coach’s contract end date (where available) and the estimated total compensation of their current contract. Note that many contracts are extensions of existing deals. For example, Pete Carroll signed a 3-year extension in 2018 at an estimated $11 million per season. His original contract was 5 years for $35 million ($7 million per year), but was renegotiated for the extension. Since data is limited on past contracts, as well as extensions, the contract totals below only represent the current term/extension of the contract, not their total compensation since they first signed with the team.
Most names at the top of the list have incentives and other perks built into their compensation. So while the salaries vary, the top guys typically make around the same amount.
Unfortunately, teams are getting more stingy with releasing the details of coaching contracts. Almost no information has leaked about the newest contracts, including the lengths of the deals, but we will update these numbers if the information becomes available.
Updated for 2024. We're still researching the current yearly contracts for most of these coaches and will update them soon.
List of NFL Head Coach Salaries – How Much Money They Make Per Year
Team | Head Coach | Estimated Salary (Approx.) |
---|---|---|
Arizona Cardinals | Jonathan Gannon | Not available |
Atlanta Falcons | Raheem Morris | Not available |
Baltimore Ravens | John Harbaugh | $9 million* |
Buffalo Bills | Sean McDermott | $8 million* |
Carolina Panthers | Dave Canales | Not available |
Chicago Bears | Matt Eberflus | Not available |
Cincinnati Bengals | Zac Taylor | Not available |
Cleveland Browns | Kevin Stefanski | Not available |
Dallas Cowboys | Mike McCarthy | $6 million* |
Denver Broncos | Sean Payton | $15 million* |
Detroit Lions | Dan Campbell | Not available |
Green Bay Packers | Matt LaFleur | Not available |
Houston Texans | DeMeco Ryans | Not available |
Indianapolis Colts | Shane Steichen | Not available |
Jacksonville Jaguars | Doug Pederson | Not available |
Kansas City Chiefs | Andy Reid | $10 million* |
Las Vegas Raiders | Antonio Pierce | Not available |
Los Angeles Chargers | Jim Harbaugh | Not available |
Los Angeles Rams | Sean McVay | $14 million* |
Miami Dolphins | Mike McDaniel | Not available |
Minnesota Vikings | Kevin O’Connell | Not available |
New England Patriots | Jerod Mayo | Not available |
New Orleans Saints | Dennis Allen | Not available |
New York Giants | Brian Daboll | Not available |
New York Jets | Robert Saleh | Not available |
Philadelphia Eagles | Nick Sirianni | Not available |
Pittsburgh Steelers | Mike Tomlin | $8 million* |
San Francisco 49ers | Kyle Shanahan | $9.5 million* |
Seattle Seahawks | Mike Macdonald | Not available |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Todd Bowles | Not available |
Tennessee Titans | Brian Callahan | Not available |
Washington Commanders | Dan Quinn | Not available |
*Estimations are based on reports and analyses from sports news sources and may not reflect the exact current salary.
Why Are NFL Coaches Paid So Much in Salary?
Obviously, this isn’t a bad gig if you can get it. However, there aren’t many positions available with only 32 teams, and only a few spots come up each year. If you are a minority, there are even fewer opportunities, a big reason why the NFL has implanted a Rooney Rule to help make sure under-represented groups get granted an interview. Now that rule has been expanded to assistant coaches as well. Rumor has it that they want to expand the rule to include women as well.
As you can see, once hired you are going to be making in excess of $4 million per year. Why so much? Probably because of the 20+ hour workdays, stress, and pressure of running a multi-billion dollar operation. You have players who are always running into off-the-field problems.
In the past, we’ve seen health issues experienced by head coaches like Gary Kubiak and John Fox, but it’s easy to see why they continue to roam the sidelines despite the health problems. They are making enough money to set their families up for generations to come.
If you win a Super Bowl you are almost guaranteed to get a big, fat bump in your next paycheck. It’s not wonder with the success that the New England Patriots have had why Bill Belichick makes so much. Sean Payton turned the New Orleans Saints from a cellar dweller to a league champion. There is also Pete Carroll, who finally turned Seattle’s Seahawks into a mini-dynasty.
Coaching a bad team? Expect to be on the low end of the totem pole, but there is plenty of incentive to turn your team around. More than just job security, but millions of dollars extra on top of your next contract.