Is Bill Belichick the highest paid coach in the NFL? A new list reveals lucrative head coach salaries
The salaries of NFL coaches aren't usually revealed. While they might earn less that some players, their annual income is lucrative enough for them to live a good life. Of course, just like NFL players, not every single coach will be paid equal.
A recent list of salaries was shared by Sportico, highlighting a few of the top paid coaches in US Sports.
As many might have expected (or not), New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is currently leading the list. Apparently, Bellichick is being paid $20 million by the Patriots, a whopping $5 million more than the coach in second place.
This means that Bill Belichick is basically is the highest paid coach in the USA, and not just the NFL.
Georgie Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart is ranked 10th with a salary of $11.3 million.
Glenn Sugiyama, head of sports practice at executive search firm DHR Global, spoke about demand and supply at the coaching carousel in 2021:
“Sports is like everything else, it’s a market-driven economy,” Sugiyama said. “As demand goes up, the market goes up.”
Now, while a few college coaches and one NBA coach (Popovich) have made it to the top ten, the majority was NFL coaches. The reason might be directly related to NFL teams and their growing value.
The last 35 years have seen an increase in NFL team value from $100 million to $4.14 billion, the impact clear on other aspects of the league. Sportsico added that Dough Pederson and Mike McCarthy are the only two active Super Bowl winning coaches to earn below $12 million in a year.
The @Sportico list of the highest paid coaches in the U.S. is out and it's led by Bill Belichick, who's coached the Patriots to six Super Bowls victories. Three of the Top 10 are in "amateur' athletics. All but one of those 10 coaches football. sportico.com/personalities/… https://t.co/KFwwKG8Vrn
Furthermore, 11 new coaches seem to have entered Sportico's top-paid coaches list this year. Smart, ranked 10th, is one of them since signing his new contract.
What ends up affecting prices is also their win ratio. The top 10 coaches, not including Carroll's USC title, have a total of 26 championships. While there can be a few exceptions, it is an important factor in determining their final salary or contract.
How successful is Bill Belichick as a coach?
Belichick's journey as a head coach began with the Cleveland Browns. Bill Belichick led them for five years and was fired in 1996. The Patriots hired him in 2000.
His career with the Patriots has been extremely successfull, leading the team to a total of six Super Bowls - 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018. Tom Brady, who won his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, was the true superstar.
Bill Belichick's career has earned him three prestigious NFL Coach of the Year awards. The last one was in 2010, when the Patriots had a 14-2-0 record. Of course, he has also coached other players on his team to spectacular award-winning seasons.
Bill Belichick passed Goerge Halas for most wins in NFL history this season, his 20 wins behind Don Shula's record of 347. While one can say that he has struggled a little after Brady's move, Belichick still remains incredibly successful.
Bill Belichick telling Kevin O’Connell he’s done a “hell of a job” with the #Vikings this season
https://t.co/i7KGbkOswu
Speaking of franchise evaluations, the Patriots are valued at $5.88 million today. This ranks them third after the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams at $7.64 billion and $5.91 billion respectively.