Breaking down how Texas A&M will pay off Jimbo Fisher's record-setting buyout

Texas A&M secured bowl eligibility on Saturday with a dominant 51-10 win over Mississippi State, but that did not stop the program from parting ways with head coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday.

Fisher was fired by Texas A&M on Sunday after nearly six seasons with the program ending his tenure with the Aggies with a 45–25 overall record and a 27-21 record versus SEC opponents, failing to make a single SEC Championship appearance during his time in College Station.

One of the biggest talking points surrounding Fisher’s dismissal is his record-setting buyout, with Texas A&M now owing Fisher $77.6 million after firing him. There’s no question that is a large chunk of change for the university, but Sam Kahn from The Athletic recently broke down how Texas A&M will make it happen.

There’s no hiding behind the fact that the Aggies do owe Fisher $77.6 million, but they don’t have to pay it all upfront according to Kahn and the structure of the buyout. But within the next 60 days, Texas A&M will have to pay Fisher 25% of what he is owed per the buyout payment schedule in Fisher’s contract, which comes out to $19.3 million.

“University shall pay twenty five percent (25%) of such amount in a lump sum within (60) days of the effective date of termination of the Agreement, and the remaining balance shall be paid to Coach in equal annual payments beginning one hundred twenty (120) days after the effective date of the termination of this agreement and continuing through the original end date of this Agreement, December 31, 2031,” Fisher’s contract reads.

Texas A&M will also owe Fisher $7.2 million within 120 days of his firing, which will also serve as the first of eight annual payments from 2025 through 2031 to pay off his buyout.

Essentially, Texas A&M will owe Fisher $26.6 million by March 11, 2024, making the good news the fact that the program will not have to pay Fisher his $77.6 million all at once. But the bad news is they will have to continue paying Fisher’s buyout annually for the next eight years along with paying whoever their next head coach is in the future.

Only Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had a larger outstanding buyout than Fisher across college football at $92.6 million. And while Texas A&M will seek a Smart-esc figure to lead their program in the future with Fisher out of the door, they will still have to continue paying Fisher for quite some time in the process.