Jimbo Fisher's $75M deal with Texas A&M: School gets no help if it fires him without cause

Steve Berkowitz | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Former Texas A&M player creates transfer dilemma for NCAA Dan Wolken breaks down a case wherein a former Texas A&M player alleges that the culture at Jimbo Fisher's program forced him to transfer.

Texas A&M’s 10-year, $75 million contract with football coach Jimbo Fisher isn’t just fully guaranteed, as university officials announced when they hired Fisher away from Florida State last December.

If Fisher is fired without cause at any point, all the buyout money will come from Texas A&M, according to a copy of the agreement obtained Wednesday by USA TODAY Sports.

In a departure from many college coaching contracts, Fisher would not be required to seek new employment – and if he did, the income would have no impact on what Texas A&M would owe him.

Making the agreement even more favorable to Fisher, if he terminates it without cause, he will have “no financial obligation to the University.”

At the time Texas A&M announced Fisher’s hiring, it was clear the guarantee would far exceed any that had been made to a coach by any public university.

But the details revealed Wednesday give Fisher’s deal even greater distinction.

For some comparisons among the nation’s most highly compensated coaches:

--When Michigan's Jim Harbaugh began his contract in late 2014, he would have been owed a $35 million buyout for termination without cause. But he was -- and remains -- obligated to seek new employment, with the income offsetting the amount he would be owed by Michigan. At present, if he leaves, he would owe less than $500,000.

-- Clemson’s Dabo Swinney’s current contract began with a $40 million buyout. It states he would have no duty to mitigate by finding another job and that Clemson would be entitled to no offset if he does. If he leaves to take another college head coaching job, he would owe the school $6 million (he would owe nothing if he takes an NFL head coaching job).

-- Ohio State’s Urban Meyer would get just over $38 million as a buyout. His contract is silent on a duty to mitigate and possible offset. If he leaves, he would owe $2 million.

-- In earlier years of his contract, Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari would have gotten $35 million, but he is required to make efforts to get another job, and the amount Kentucky would owe him would be offset by Calipari’s new income. At present, he would owe nothing for leaving.

-- Alabama football coach Nick Saban’s recently announced contract amendment has not been released by the school, but last season the buyout he would have been owed was $26.9 million, and that amount was subject to offset, although he had no specified duty to seek a new job. He would owe nothing for leaving.

Fisher’s predecessor, Kevin Sumlin, had a similar arrangement regarding the buyout he was owed if Texas A&M fired him – and he ended up being due about $10.4 million. But Sumlin’s contract was silent on an obligation to mitigate, while Fisher’s is specific on the issue. Sumlin’s deal called for his basic compensation to be $5 million annually during a six-year term.

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In addition, if Sumlin had terminated the agreement without cause at any point during the first three years, he would have owed $5 million to Texas A&M.

Fisher’s new deal will allow him to earn up to $1.5 million in bonuses each year, including $1 million for winning the College Football Playoff championship and $150,000 if the team’s NCAA Academic Progress Rate figure is at least 965 (the team’s three most recently published single-year and multi-year APR’s have been right around 965).

Fisher also will receive a variety of perks, including up to $300,000 each year in private aircraft use.

The deal commits Texas A&M to spend at least $5 million annually on assistant coaches’ salaries, and the amount “will be adjusted each year to a level which will enable the University’s football program to remain competitive with all other top-tier SEC football programs, as determined by (the athletics director) with Coach’s input.”

Fisher’s contract contains an array of requirements regarding compliance with NCAA rules, as well as potential consequences for violations by him and/or the program. On Tuesday, USA TODAY Sports reported that former Texas A&M linebacker Santino Marchiol – in applying for a waiver that would allow him to play immediately at Arizona – has alleged a series of NCAA rules violations by Aggies coaches.

Fisher also has specific reporting responsibilities in case of alleged or suspected illegal gender discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault or intimate partner violence.