Cyclones: Matt Campbell's new contract includes $7M buyout if he leaves after 2018 season

Randy Peterson | The Des Moines Register

Show Caption Hide Caption BIG 12 FOOTBALL: ISU’s Campbell talks about possibility of black uniforms NIKE has shown that Iowa State football has become a priority. New uniform unveiling will be in June

You know all that chatter about Matt Campbell leaving Iowa State that kicked up during last season? If he does, it’ll come at a cost.

Campbell’s new contract, which the Des Moines Register obtained Wednesday through the Freedom of Information Act, states that Iowa State is owed $7 million if he leaves before Feb. 1, 2019. The buyout drops by $1 million each February through the contract’s Dec. 31, 2023 duration.

The buyout isn’t a deal-breaker if Campbell leaves for a big-time program — or the NFL. He’s likely not going anywhere, unless it’s a very high-profile job along the lines of an Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, Notre Dame or the NFL.

If that’s the case, then Campbell probably has taken Iowa State football to places it’s rarely been.

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Last November, Iowa State added years onto Campbell’s original contract that would have expired in December 2021.

Campbell makes $3.5 million this season, a gigantic increase from the $2.1 million he'd previously enjoyed. The new contract, which expires after the 2023 season, will be worth a total of $22.5 million.

According to the contract, Campbell gets $500,000 if Iowa State wins the Big 12 Conference regular-season title and the Big 12 championship game. He gets $250,000 if Iowa State wins the regular-season title, yet doesn’t win the title game.

That old contract included a bonus clause that said Campbell received $500,000 for six or more wins in a season. The 2017 Cyclones went 8-5 after beating Memphis in the Liberty Bowl.

That clause wasn’t included in his new contract, which the university released Wednesday.

There’s also a clause in the new contract that says the buyouts decrease by 50 percent if Jamie Pollard is no longer Iowa State's athletic director.