Billy Napier contract buyout: How the Florida coach could earn a fortune even if he loses his job
One of the names that have been placed on the hot seat throughout the 2023 college football season has been Florida Gators coach Billy Napier. Back in 2021, he signed a massive seven-year, $51.8 million contract but has not really lived up to the billing with a 9-8 (4-5 in SEC) record up to this point with the program.
If Florida decided that they wanted to part ways with Napier on the second year of the deal, they would owe him 85 percent of his remaining annual compensation. The buyout could have a significant tag as half of the total would be paid within 30 days of being fired while the remaining money would be paid in equal installments throughout the course of four years on every July 15.
If we were to calculate what the buyout would look like if Billy Napier was fired today, it would be an interesting breakdown. The contract he signed pays him $7.4 million annually. He would be in the third year, meaning he would get 85 percent of the salary for five years, or $37 million before getting into the percentages.
If we take the $37 million and get the 85 percent for the buyout, Napier would be looking at a total of $31.45 million owed. He would receive $15.725 million in the next 30 days and then every July 15 until 2027 would receive $4.625 million.
Contracts are interesting and can be a reason why teams do not fire coaches that easily. Surely, boosters would help alleviate the pain of paying $37 million to get him out of the program if they wanted him gone but it's still tough to ask.
Has Billy Napier done enough this season to get off the hot seat?
With Billy Napier and the Florida Gators off this week, they are sitting at 3-2 (1-1) and are third in the SEC West division with Georgia and Kentucky ahead of them. Despite the record being one game over .500, the Gators are ranked 22nd in college football.
The Gators' defense has been doing extremely well as they are currently tied for 17th in the nation with just 13.5 points and have done okay scoring the football. They have some incredible talent throughout their offensive roster with quarterback Graham Mertz, running back Trevor Etienne, and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
However, numbers and names are not enough and what matters is for him to take this program all the way into the playoffs.