CHICAGO -- Is Charlie Weis' job as the head football coach at Notre Dame safe because of the size of his contract buyout?

A person with knowledge of Weis' contract told ESPN's Joe Schad on Wednesday that the amount Notre Dame would have to pay Weis is greater than $4 million to $5 million, which was reported earlier Wednesday by the Chicago Tribune. The source told Schad that the buyout, which is specified in the contract, is "stupefying."

The Tribune, citing multiple sources, reported that the size of Weis' buyout -- previously said to be as much as $10 million -- is inaccurate and put the figure at closer to $4 million. The paper also said that the amount isn't enough to affect whether Notre Dame decides to part ways with Weis.

Notre Dame (6-5), coming off an embarrassing home loss to lightly-regarded Syracuse, plays at No. 5 USC on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Notre Dame is a 32-point underdog; no Irish team has been more than a 24-point underdog since 1975.

The Tribune reported that typical buyouts for college football coaches are base salary times years remaining on a contract. Weis' base salary (not including outside income) for the 2007 season was $598,000, according to a report in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, which attributed the figure to Notre Dame's tax forms.