Of course the NFL has interest in Steve Sarkisian

While impatiently waiting for the arrival of the College Football Playoff semifinal versus Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, Texas fans were given news that shouldn’t necessarily come as a shock but still wasn’t exactly what they wanted to hear a few days from the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.

[BOOKMARK: Check Inside Texas daily for FREE Texas Longhorns content]

“I would expect some teams to call and inquire about Texas HC Steve Sarkisian, who has drawn some interest from the NFL level,” ESPN insider Adam Schefter said Sunday morning on NFL Live.

It should come as no surprise that Sarkisian’s name has been mentioned in the respective front office and agent circles Schefter has direct lines to. Offense sells, and a look at the top of the playoff picture in the NFL is littered with either play-calling head coaches or offensive minded head coaches at that. Sarkisian’s success isn’t with an Air Raid style scheme that Kliff Kingsbury had major growing pains with or that with which Lincoln Riley missed his window to make the leap. Sarkisian runs a pro-style offense that, aside from some adjustments to the RPOs he utilizes, would translate cleanly to the NFL.

It also would not be prohibitively expensive for a given franchise rolling in TV money millions: Sarkisian would owe Texas $6 million if he decided to end his contract early.

Plus, teams that are in the market for head coaches very often draft a quarterback to start off the new era with a fantastic sales pitch. Sarkisian’s history with quarterbacks is extensive, from Carson Palmer all the way to Quinn Ewers. With the massive investments teams put into signal-callers these days, a guiding hand like Sarkisian is incredibly valuable.

That doesn’t even include his previous NFL experience. Sarkisian coached quarterbacks for the Oakland Raiders in 2004 and was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 and 2018.

But there are a number of reasons why a move to the NFL may not be Sark’s next move, nor one he’s interested in making.

Dollars and cents

Figures via Front Office Sports.

The highest paid head coach in the NFL according to publicly available data compiled by FOS is Kansas City’s Andy Reid, who makes $20 million per year.

The head coach with the lowest compensation total? New England’s Jerrod Mayo, who is making $3.5 million per year.

Sarkisian’s scheduled 2025 compensation of $10.4 million would make him the tenth highest paid coach in the NFL among publicly available data.

While the NFL is a ‘what-have-you-done-for-me-lately’ league and admitting a coach with the level of success and attributes Sarkisian has posted is a lot done late, Sarkisian might not be able to command the same price. Washington head coach Dan Quinn and Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor, two men who have coached in Super Bowls, are only making $4.5 million.

They say all the money in the world that isn’t under the Vatican is at Texas. Sarkisian is likely aware of that and sees there’s more to be made should he continue to succeed in Austin.

Arch Manning

Why go to a quarterback situation that could be a crapshoot when the one right at home is exactly what you’re looking for?

With Ewers likely 2025 NFL Draft-bound whenever Texas’ campaign is over, the Arch Manning over is set to begin, ironically, with the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. Sarkisian will have at least one year with Manning at the helm, and two years with No. 16 under center is in the cards.

Manning presents the opportunity for Sarkisian to produce back-to-back top draft picks at quarterback as a head coach.

College football

Sarkisian may very well be happy not just in Austin, but in this version of the sport. Sarkisian has often talked about his love for college football and all associated with it. While he may privately complain about schedules, responsibilities, and more, he continues to publicly espouse college football and there’s no reason to think he’s lying about that.

Winning

Sarkisian’s mantra for this 2024 season that has now dipped into 2025 has boiled down to one word: obsession.

“I came here to win a championship,” Sarkisian said in February. “If I can get one, then I want to get two. I’m borderline obsessed with it at this point. I know what it tasted like last year. I know how close we were, and I couldn’t wait to get back. Hopefully, that’s what our team starts to exude, this obsession with being the best because we have a locker room full of young men that are driven, that are focused, that want to be the best.”

Winning is a panacea, truly. So much of what has gone wrong for Texas this year has been able to be looked back on as growing pains because, except for two cases, the Longhorns have won.

Sarkisian has built a program primed to continue to win. The last four recruiting classes rank No. 5, No. 3, No. 6, and then No. 1 in the 2025 cycle. That’s paired with an ability to get players out of the transfer portal, all strengthened by a robust NIL apparatus.

If Sarkisian goes to a New Orleans Saints team in cap and quarterback hell, winning won’t come around quickly. Even if the idea of being in the NFL, the pinnacle of the sport of football, is enough to make up for those problems, it’s not going to be conducive to winning.

[Join Inside Texas TODAY and get 7 days for just ONE DOLLAR!]

For now, the NFL can have its interest. It likely will going forward. But the good reasons for Sarkisian to stay at Texas ostensibly outnumber the reasons for him to join the ranks of The Shield.