Report: Steve Sarkisian agrees to a contract extension after turning down NFL interviews
One year after the University of Texas and Steve Sarkisian agreed to a long-term contract on the heels of a semifinals appearance in the College Football Playoff, the two parties have reportedly done it again. Per Brett McMurphy, Sarkisian and Texas agreed to an extension after the Longhorns head coach declined two NFL interviews.
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“Steve Sarkisian agrees to contract extension with Texas after declining interviews with two NFL teams, sources said,” McMurphy tweeted. “UT Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife and AD Chris Del Conte were key figures in getting the deal done, source said. Sarkisian has led UT to consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal berths and double-digit win seasons for 1st time in 17 years.
Quoting a source, McMurphy added: “The fact Sarkisian didn’t take any NFL interviews shows his buy-in and commitment to the University of Texas.”
Sarkisian is 38-17 in four years at Texas. He just completed a 13-3 season that saw the Longhorns lose to Ohio State in the final four of the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The Longhorns reached the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll for the first time since 2009, and reached the Southeastern Conference championship game during the program’s first season in the league.
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Texas went 12-2 in 2023, the programs’ first 10-win season since 2018 and first 12-win season since 2009. The Longhorns finished their time in the Big 12 Conference as league champions and made the final scheduled iteration of the four-team College Football Playoff. Sarkisian oversaw at 8-5 year in 2022 on the heels of a 5-7 debut season in 2021.
Last January in the wake of the successful 2023 campaign and Nick Saban‘s retirement, Sarkisian and Texas agreed to a contract extension through the 2030 season that pays him over $10 million per year. His buyout should he be fired by the school without cause is 85 percent of the remaining sum in the contract, while the buyout should Sarkisian break the contract dropped to $6 million following the 2024 season.
According to USA Today data, Sarkisian is the third highest-paid head coach behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
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Sarkisian is 84-52 in his time as a head coach between his stops at Washington, USC, and Texas.
