Bill Belichick is the highest-paid coach in American sports, at least according to an estimate from Forbes.
The magazine says the retirement of Phil Jackson as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers makes Belichick the new No. 1 on the list of the highest-paid coaches, at an estimated $7.5 million. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan are each believed to make a little less than that, about $7 million.
The truth is, no one really knows how much Belichick makes except Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and probably a few advisers to both men, none of whom are going to reveal Belichick’s salary. That’s why Forbes calls it an estimate.
But if Belichick is the highest-paid coach in sports, that’s a distinction he’s earned: It’s hard to argue with 140 wins and three Super Bowl rings in 11 years in New England.