Who are the highest and lowest paid NFL coaches in 2024?
Reid has surpassed Bill Belichick as the highest-paid coach in the NFL. Belichick, the former Patriots, was the sole coach to ever earn more annually.
So, let’s take a look at the salaries of the head coaches of the top teams around the league. Get a good one, and they can change the fortunes of a franchise. A dud can mean millions of dollars down the drain.
As players have complicated clauses and bonuses written into their contracts, so do coaches. The main difference is that coaches always have guaranteed contracts. If the team is doing well, the contract could be extended. If the team is doing poorly, the coach can be dropped anytimeisn’t easy. But the team is still on the hook for his money. Since the coaching staff are not party to the collective bargaining agreement between teams and players, their salary has no bearing on the salary cap. Great news for those franchises with deep pockets, less so for small-market teams.
Is the highest-paid coach the most successful coach?
Every contract is individual to the coach and the organization, so generalizing isn’t easy. Stock options may be included, as could performance bonuses. Not every franchise publishes financial details of the front office or coaching staff, so a few coaches could fall anywhere along the pay spectrum. But the one thing that (we think that) we know is that the highest-paid coach in the NFL is also the most successful in the NFL.
Andy Reid, who coached the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, faced criticism for his poor record in championship games. However, he has since won three of the last five Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback.
He also secured a five-year, $100 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid coach in the NFL and North American sports leagues. Reid is also the only NFL coach to reach 100 wins with two different franchises and has led his teams to the playoffs 19 times in 25 seasons.
He rightfully inherits this top coach position from the recently retired Bill Belichick, who led this list in 2023.
The salaries below include coaches who were employed during the 2024 season.
Top 10 highest-paid NFL coaches
| COACH | TEAM | ANNUAL SALARY |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Andy Reid | Kansas City Chiefs | $20 million |
| 2. Sean Payton | Denver Broncos | $18 million |
| 3. Mike Tomlin | Pittsburgh Steelers | $16 million |
| 3. Jim Harbaugh | Los Angeles Chargers | $16 million |
| 5. Sean McVay | Los Angeles Rams | $15 million |
| 6. Kyle Shanahan | San Francisco 49ers | $14 million |
| 7. John Hargbaugh | Baltimore Ravens | $12 million |
| 8. Dan Campbell | Detroit Lions | $11 million |
| 8. Sean McDermott | Buffalo Bills | $11 million |
| 10. Mike Macdonald | Seattle Seahawks | $9 million |
Who are the lowest-paid NFL coaches?
| COACH | TEAM | SALARY |
|---|---|---|
| Matt LaFleur | Green Bay Packers | $5 million |
| Robert Saleh | New York Jets | $5 million |
| Zac Taylor | Cincinnati Bengals | $4.5 million |
| Mike McCarthy | Dallas Cowboys | $4 million |
| Kevin Stefanski | Cleveland Browns | $3.5 million |