One-fourth of the NFL’s head coaches have salaries of more than $6 million, and coaches in professional football earn incomes that far exceed their counterparts in other pro sports.
That’s the word from Forbes, which is out with its latest ranking of the highest-paid coaches in North American professional sports. As we noted when he signed his new contract in December, Saints coach Sean Payton now makes $8 million a year, making him the highest-paid coach anywhere.
Of the nine pro coaches who make more than $6 million, eight of them are in the NFL: Payton, Patriots coach Bill Belichick ($7.5 million), Chiefs coach Andy Reid ($7.5 million), Seahawks coach Pete Carroll ($7 million), Rams coach Jeff Fisher ($7 million), Redskins coach Mike Shanahan ($7 million), Giants coach Tom Coughlin ($6.67 million) and Eagles coach Chip Kelly ($6.5 million).
Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers is the highest-paid coach outside the NFL, at $7 million a year.
Unlike players’ contracts, coaches’ contracts are usually kept private, so it’s possible that some of the reported numbers are off. But suffice to say, the coaches at the top of the NFL pay scale are doing pretty well for themselves. With Payton doing better than any of them.