(The Center Square) – University of Washington head football coach Kalen DeBoer has signed a two-year contract extension to keep him in Seattle through the 2028 season, increasing his annual salary by almost $1 million.
Per the amended contract, DeBoer is set to see his salary go from $3.4 million per year in his initial deal to $4.2 million in 2023, including annual bonuses of $100,000, which translates into a $4.7 million annual salary in 2028.
The coach’s original contract was for five years and $16.5 million.
“It is clear that Kalen is such an amazing fit at the University of Washington,” Jen Cohen, UW’s athletic director, said in a statement announcing the contract extension. “He has come in and made an incredible impact in every aspect of the program, our department, the University and the Seattle community. Kalen is an elite competitor who approaches each and every situation with the utmost class and integrity. We couldn’t be more excited that he and his family will be on Montlake for the foreseeable future leading these tremendous young men in our football program.”
DeBoer, 48, has led the Huskies to a 9-2 record in his first year with the program, greatly improving on a dismal 2021 season that saw the team go 4-8.
His contract extension affords him other opportunities to earn even more.
DeBoer receives retention bonuses of $500,000 for staying with the program through March 2024 and March 2026. On March 15, 2028, he could receive a $1 million bonus if he is still Washington’s head football coach.
Athletic achievement incentives are part of the contract as well.
They include $25,000 for a Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor, $50,000 for a national coach of the year honor, $50,000 for a Pac-12 championship game appearance, $100,000 for a Pac-12 championship game win, $75,000 for an appearance in a non-New Year’s Six bowl game, $300,000 for a New Year’s Six bowl slot, $400,000 for a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, $850,000 for a CFP championship game appearance, and $900,000 for a CFP championship victory.
The New Year’s Six is a reference to the major post-regular season games played on New Year’s Day: the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl.
With an appearance in the Pac-12 championship game unlikely due to losses to conference rivals UCLA and Arizona State, DeBoer nevertheless has the Huskies primed for a significant bowl bid as the team prepares to take on the Washington State University Cougars in the Apple Cup on Saturday in Pullman.
DeBoer’s new contract, though relatively modest for major college football, makes him among the highest paid state employees in Washington, if not the highest.
Fiscal.wa.gov has UW head basketball coach Mike Hopkins listed as the highest paid state employee, with a 2021 salary of almost $2.84 million.
“We will not have updated salary info for 2022 until sometime in the spring,” Office of Financial Management spokesperson Ralph Thomas told The Center Square via email. “For higher education institutions, we get the info directly from each institution.”
