The Browns have already swung two deals sending away veteran players, and more could be coming.
The Saints have a number of pieces they could move on from, though it remains to be seen whether they’ll actually do so.
The Ravens and Bengals look unlikely to sell anytime soon, but things could change if their seasons can’t get back on track.

Forget the adage about deadlines spurring action. With nearly a month left until the NFL’s cutoff for in-season exchanges, the annual swap meet is already in full swing.

The trade deadline – which this year falls on Nov. 4 – was once largely an ornamental event on the league’s calendar. But the action has ramped up considerably in recent years, with teams being far more amenable to reshaping their rosters and financial futures on the fly.

After a couple of minor deals in the immediate aftermath of Week 1 – the Jacksonville Jaguars trading running back Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots trading injured wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk to the New Orleans Saints – the low-stakes reshuffling resumed later in the month with another pair of deals. But things ramped up considerably following Week 5, as the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday dove in for an ultrarare intradivision quarterback acquisition in landing Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns. Teams were hardly finished, with the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers exchanging notable defenders in Odafe Oweh and Alohi Gilman later Tuesday before the Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday reshaped their secondaries by moving Greg Newsome II for Tyson Campbell.

And don’t expect things to tail off from there.

There are plenty of roadblocks that keep the NFL’s trade deadline from becoming the full-on free-for-all seen in the NBA and MLB. Salary-cap consequences can often be prohibitive, and teams with embattled leadership might be reticent to embrace a fire sale if it increases the likelihood of coaches or front-office members losing their jobs. Yet franchises no longer keep picks under lock and key, making it easier to engineer deals between outfits on the opposite ends of the competitive spectrum. And the league has greased the skids for more activity by last year pushing the deadline back another week, giving organizations more clarity on how realistic a playoff run actually is.

So who could be the next teams to pull the trigger? The market might hinge on which franchises are actually willing to part with talent capable of tilting the scales this season. With that in mind, here are five NFL teams that should be sellers ahead of the trade deadline – though whether they actually go that route remains to be seen.

Cleveland Browns

They’ve already offloaded Flacco and Newsome, both of whom were on expiring deals and didn’t figure to factor into the team’s plans beyond this fall. Why stop there? Cleveland has 14 rookies on its 53-man roster, and the pivot from Flacco to Dillon Gabriel dispelled any notion of the team prioritizing the rapidly deteriorating season at hand over its future. The Browns have been adding to their war chest of draft picks since April, when they acquired an additional first-rounder for 2026 by moving back in the deal with the Jaguars. But every asset counts for a roster still short on serviceable starters, and it would be good to have additional flexibility for any potential draft trade targeting a quarterback.

Best trade chip: TE David Njoku. There aren’t a ton of viable veterans to be sent away after the Newsome move. But Njoku should be an intriguing option for a team looking to boost its aerial attack or searching for a fill-in at tight end. The former Pro Bowler is no longer the athletic marvel he once was in his prime, but he’s a solid receiving threat capable of elevating the floor for any offense. Cleveland has the chance to sell high as Njoku comes off a season-best six catches and 67 yards against the Minnesota Vikings, though parting with him would deprive Gabriel of the player whom the rookie passer targeted most frequently in his starting debut. But third-rounder Harold Fannin Jr. already looks capable of holding down the lead role, so auctioning off Njoku to the highest bidder should be on the Browns’ to-do list in the coming weeks.

New Orleans Saints

Ever since Sean Payton left town, New Orleans has struggled to come to terms with its inability to reclaim contender status, instead repeatedly doubling down on a suspect roster and payday loan approach to cap maintenance. Derek Carr’s retirement prompted the Saints to face some harsh truths, but the organization still has only taken a few steps in what looks like a long trek back toward respectability. With the 1-4 season already shaping up as a lost cause, an overdue culling of aging veterans could make the reset a little less imposing.

Best trade chip: WR Chris Olave. Alvin Kamara is a fun consideration here given what the all-purpose dynamo could offer a playoff threat, but the five-time Pro Bowler has been outspoken about his desire to finish his career in New Orleans. A more seamless move might be splitting with Olave, who has nearly $15.5 million in guaranteed salary due next year after the Saints exercised his fifth-year option this past spring. Figuring out a price point could be tricky given the commitment involved with a player who suffered at least four documented concussions in the previous three seasons. But Olave – or maybe fellow speedy receiver Rashid Shaheed – could better tap into his considerable deep speed in a different operation, and New Orleans might have a difficult time convincing itself he’s a foundational piece worthy of an extension in a booming receiver market.

Tennessee Titans

Brian Callahan waved off any notion of a mass talent purge – to the degree there are even enough alluring players to conduct one – after the Titans sent cornerback Jarvis Brownlee to the Jets last month. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss the idea, though. Agita abounds in Nashville, where Callahan’s crew can’t seem to shake the myriad mistakes that have plagued his brief tenure. Tennessee’s hodgepodge of a roster is the product of a years-long lack of vision at the top rungs of the organization. First-year general manager Mike Borgonzi has a chance to finally set things straight, and that likely entails moving on from some of the splashy acquisitions that haven’t panned out.

Best trade chip: DT Jeffery Simmons. Sending away the franchise’s lone elite performer would be a seismic decision, and Tennessee has given no indication it’s prepared to go that far. If he were made available, however, there would probably be a mad rush for an interior disruptor currently operating at a Defensive Player of the Year level. Financial factors likely prohibit sending away wide receiver Calvin Ridley or cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, but Borgonzi might like to try to wipe the slate as clean as possible given his admission in the offseason of how widespread the Titans’ roster needs are. Running back Tony Pollard could be a steady if unspectacular addition for a team needing to punch up its ground game, while Arden Key should be attractive for teams wanting more in the pass rush without breaking the bank.

Cincinnati Bengals

A team clawing to stay alive in the wake of Joe Burrow being sidelined until at least December might seem like an odd candidate for this list. If Flacco can’t turn things around, however, Cincinnati has to consider walking away from an all-in year. Market-setting investments in Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase – as well as the sizable extension for Tee Higgins – necessitate rounding out much of the rest of the roster with capable starters on rookie contracts, and Cincinnati has mostly missed the mark on that mission in recent years. Time to load up again and take more shots at building up the defense and offensive line.

Best trade chip: DE Trey Hendrickson. A split in the spring is all but assured after Hendrickson didn’t manage to secure any long-term summer security in his standoff with the team. While Cincinnati should have a high compensatory pick coming its way one year after the reigning NFL sack king walks, dealing him now would give the Bengals a chance to begin that reloading process a good bit earlier. Might be tough for Cincinnati to instigate a separation, but maximizing the potential return here could be a crucial step for the organization.

Baltimore Ravens

Like the rival Bengals, the Ravens don’t look ready to give up the fight despite finding themselves in a substantial early-season hole. Yet if they can’t get to .500 by the trade deadline and the Pittsburgh Steelers begin running away with the AFC North, Baltimore should embrace a small-scale sell-off, even if such a scenario seems unlikely. Cap space has to be a front-of-mind consideration for a team with so much high-end talent to satisfy, so the Ravens might need to adopt an unfamiliar outlook after so frequently positioning themselves as buyers at the deadline.

Best trade chip: TE Mark Andrews. Teams shouldn’t bother inquiring about any of the truly top-tier players, as the Ravens won’t ship off anyone critical to the franchise’s operations for the foreseeable future. But Andrews looks expendable given Isaiah Likely’s presence and the veteran’s waning relevance to the offense. A change of scenery could do the three-time Pro Bowler good as he tries to demonstrate his value ahead of an expected trip to free agency.

Bill Belichick’s buyout structure if North Carolina fired him is exceptionally unusual for a college football coaching contract.
First three years of Bill Belichick’s deal are fully guaranteed, but buyout drops to $0 in Year 4.
Bill Belichick effect for UNC goes beyond record. See the attendance figures.

Tucked onto the 18th page of Bill Belichick’s North Carolina coaching contract resides a most consequential paragraph.

Officially, it’s item 12(b).

Unofficially, this paragraph amounts to North Carolina’s escape hatch.

The paragraph outlines UNC’s financial obligations if it fires Belichick without cause at any point before the end of his five-year contract. Which, seems relevant. The Tar Heels are 2-3 in Belichick’s first season, including three blowout losses in games against Power Four opponents.

Belichick earns $10.1 million in annual compensation. His contract, though, includes $0 in financial severance if he’s fired in the final two seasons of his term.

This amounts to an exceptionally unusual buyout structure for an initial contract within college football’s ecosystem.

∎ View the entire 2025 college football coach salary database here

Belichick’s deal is scheduled to be worth a sum of more than $50 million in total compensation, of which $30 million, or about 60%, is guaranteed.

That percentage is not particularly unusual. Here’s what is: Belichick’s compensation is 100% guaranteed throughout the first three years of his deal. In other words, North Carolina will owe Belichick $10 million a year for three years regardless of whether he’s fired, so long as he’s not fired for cause. However, in the final two years of the deal, 0% is guaranteed.

“I have never seen any contract where there is a three-year guarantee and no guarantee in the last two years,” said Martin Greenberg, an expert sports lawyer and former law professor at Marquette. “This is an anomaly and something that is the first of its kind. There is absolutely nothing to compare this to.”

Starting on Jan. 1, 2028, Belichick could be fired without cause at no cost to the university, under his contract terms.

In effect, Belichick’s contract amounts to a three-year pledge that’s masquerading as a five-year deal.

“This is an experiment,” Greenberg said, “and, basically, this experiment involves three years of guaranteed money.”

Although the contract’s severance structure is an outlier by industry norms, it reflects the reality of Belichick’s situation. He’s 73, and he’d never coached a college program before.

“The phrasing of this deal, being seemingly a three-year deal with two years put on the back, seems to make a lot more sense through the prism that Bill Belichick is currently the oldest coach in the country, and he’s never coached in college,” said Dan Lust, a sports law attorney at Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP in New York and a professor at New York Law School who hosts the “Conduct Detrimental” sports law podcast.

Bill Belichick’s annual compensation tops $10 million

In the meantime, the six-time Super Bowl champion is cashing in.

His $10.1 million compensation ranks ninth nationally and tops that of Tennessee’s Josh Heupel ($9 million), Penn State’s James Franklin ($8.5 million), Indiana’s Curt Cignetti ($8.3 million) and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham ($7.4 million), a quartet of Power Four coaches whose teams made the playoff last season.

Belichick also enjoys a bonus structure that would award him up to a maximum bonus of $3.35 million this season if North Carolina won the national championship and he achieved other markers. Some bonuses are more attainable than others. For instance, he’d earn a $150,000 bonus if North Carolina qualified for a low-level bowl game.

North Carolina contract allows Bill Belichick an offramp, too

The contract also establishes an offramp for Belichick if he were to leave for another job. Since June 1, Belichick would owe just $1 million for leaving before the end of his deal. That’s cheap, by industry standards.

“I didn’t come here to leave,” Belichick said after he accepted the job.

Where would he go? North Carolina’s performance reduces the likelihood other suitors will come knocking.

Coaching contracts rarely reach their conclusion. Either Belichick will be fired, retire or otherwise depart UNC before the end of his deal, or he’ll receive a contract extension or amended deal before the contract reaches its end point. An amended contract could alter the terms of his buyout.

College football buyout structures vary by contract

There’s no singular buyout structure to which the industry adheres. Severance language varies from contract to contract. The most coach-friendly contract guarantees 100% of the compensation for the full term of the deal.

Jimbo Fisher helped launch this type of contract with a mega-deal and subsequent extension at Texas A&M. Fisher was due full compensation, through the end of his term, whether he thrived or fizzled. When the Aggies fired him with eight years remaining on his deal, Fisher was owed a buyout exceeding $75 million, smashing the industry record.

Penn State’s Franklin signed a guaranteed contract similar to Fisher’s, ensuring his full compensation would be paid out if he’s fired.

Some coaches have a fixed-figure buyout, while others have a ladder structure, with the severance amount stepping down incrementally as the contract progresses.

Other contracts have a percentage-based buyout structure. That’s the case for Florida’s Billy Napier, a coach on the hot seat. He signed a seven-year contract in 2021 scheduled to be worth $51.8 million, with 85% of his remaining compensation guaranteed if he’s fired without cause at any point during the term.

North Carolina got off cheap, by industry standards, when it fired Mack Brown last year with three seasons left on his deal. It owed him $2.8 million, paid in installments.

Bill Belichick effect shows in sellouts, if not in wins

Beli ball soured quickly. His Tar Heels look a mess on the field, giving the appearance of being one of the Power Four’s worst teams. Belichick’s initial value to North Carolina extended beyond the team’s record. A winner of six Super Bowls as coach of the New England Patriots, he’s magnetized attention and attendance.

A burgeoning football program could make North Carolina even more appealing to the Big Ten or the SEC, the nation’s richest and most powerful conferences, if conference realignment reignites in the 2030s, as some industry pundits believe will happen.

The Tar Heels sold out each of their six home games for 2025, before the season began. The home fans keep witnessing lopsided losses.

A capacity crowd of 50,500 created an electric environment at Kenan Stadium for the season opener. The game attracted ESPN’s prime-time Labor Day slot. Fans began filing out in the third quarter while TCU stomped the Tar Heels.

In the Oct. 4 loss to Clemson, students were leaving at the end of the first quarter with UNC trailing 28-3.

Before the season, UNC chancellor Lee Roberts declared ‘we’ve hired the best coach.’

Or, North Carolina hired a coach past his pinnacle and out of his element.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

PHOENIX — Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson has borne witness to the havoc Jewell Loyd can unleash on opponents. Just look back at the 2020 WNBA Finals in the COVID-19 bubble, where Loyd and the Seattle Storm swept Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in three games.

‘I had a front row seat to a sweep in the bubble with Jewel (Loyd) with Gold Kobes on,’ Wilson recalled after dropping 34 points, including the game-winner, in the Aces’ Game 3 win over the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals on Wednesday. ‘I’m grateful that she’s now with us for sure. … I’m glad she got her A’Ones now.’

Anyone would be grateful to have a two-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time All-Star as a teammate. But the Aces have the luxury of having Loyd come off the bench, which was a perceived weakness in recent years. Leading the second unit has been an adjustment for Loyd amid a rollercoaster season, but she is finding her rhythm at just the right moment.

‘I know my role really well,’ said Loyd, who improved to 9-0 in the WNBA Finals after recording 16 points and seven rebounds on Wednesday. She’s now one step closer to claiming her third WNBA title as the Aces have an opportunity to close out the best-of-seven championship series against the Mercury in Game 4 on Friday at Mortgage Matchup Center.

‘To be able to play alongside Jewel and to see her work, it is truly magical,’ Wilson added. ‘Her record in the Finals, it shows the work that she’s put in.’

Loyd’s role on the Aces has evolved throughout the course of the season.

‘The confidence has always been there. I just get annoyed missing shots, because I know I want to help my team,’ Loyd said back in June. ‘You want to see the ball go into the basket. My preparation has been the same. My teammates still believe in me. My coach, fans, everyone is encouraging me all the way through.’

Aces coach Becky Hammon never lost faith on Loyd. After making 25 starts, Hammon made the decision to have Loyd come off the bench, a move that Loyd not only agreed with, but benefited from. The Aces’ depth led Hammon to say her team had ‘the best overall bench that we’ve had since I’ve been here.’

The Aces’ bench has backed Hammon’s declaration with 41 points in their Game 1, including 21 from Dana Evans and 18 from Loyd. Loyd knocked down three 3-pointers in Game 2, her 32nd birthday.

Hammon subbed in Loyd for Kierstan Bell like clockwork around the seven-minute mark of the first quarter of Game 3 Wednesday, just as she did in Game 1 and 2 of the WNBA Finals. Loyd responded by dropping 12 points in seven minutes, setting a WNBA Finals record for the most 3-pointers (4) scored in the first quarter.

‘A lot of it’s just our pace. We’re going up and down really quickly. Run the corners,’ Loyd said. ‘For me just being active is very key and I kind of get going from my defense and let everything else kind of go from there. But when the ball has energy and moves around really hard to guard.’

Hammon called Loyd and Evans the Aces’ ‘kiss of death.’

‘One thing that I’ve really grown to appreciate about Jewell (Loyd) is she’s super easy to coach, just wants to do whatever it takes to win,’ said Hammon, who noted Loyd is the perfect weapon off the bench to contrast the Ace’s ‘top heavy roster.’

‘You think you’re doing a good job on Jackie (Young) and (A’ja Wilson) and then all of a sudden you’ve got this next wave and (Loyd is) a big part of that,’ Hammon said. ‘We know what she’s capable of. We want to get her as many shots. I wish she would’ve shot more.’

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Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams has joined the investor group for the new NWSL team, Boston Legacy FC.
Williams joins other prominent sports figures like Aly Raisman, Brad Stevens and Aliyah Boston as a investors.
Boston Legacy FC is one of two expansion teams set to join the NWSL for the 2026 season.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is expanding his sports impact beyond the football field.

National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club Boston Legacy FC announced Thursday morning that Williams had joined its group of investors. He’s one of several prominent sports figures to invest in the new team, joining gymnast and three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman, Boston Celtics general manager Brad Stevens and Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston.

‘Women’s sports is a movement, and I admire and respect the work that the team and the NWSL continues to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes,’ Williams said in a statement. ‘Boston Legacy Football Club is building something special, and we’re proud to be a part of what’s next.’

The former Southern California Trojan’s investment in the Legacy is through 888 Midas, the investment firm Williams founded shortly after the Bears drafted him.

The firm ‘provides a unique platform for athlete and advisor-led investing across private equity, venture capital, real estate, and alternative assets,’ according to the Legacy’s press release.

The Legacy are one of two expansion teams joining the NWSL to start the 2026 season, alongside Denver Summit FC. Boston and Denver will be the 15th and 16th teams to join the nation’s top-flight women’s soccer league.

Williams was the first overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft. Since then, he’s started all 21 of Chicago’s games and thrown for 4,468 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

‘Caleb’s investment in Boston Legacy Football Club highlights the powerful momentum of women’s professional soccer and what it means to have professional athletes investing in our future,’ Legacy controlling owner Jennifer Epstein said in a statement.

‘It symbolizes a new era of cross-league support and recognition. With best-in-class athletes, a rapidly growing fan base, and undeniable energy around the NWSL, we are proud to welcome Caleb as a partner as we prepare for the 2026 inaugural season.’

The 2026 NWSL season is scheduled to kick off on Feb. 20, 2026 with the NWSL Challenge Cup. The league’s regular season will begin on March 13.

Williams and the Bears will play in their second ‘Monday Night Football’ appearance for Week 6. They travel to Landover, Maryland to take on the Washington Commanders and the No. 2 overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, quarterback Jayden Daniels.

USC’s top-ranked offense faces a critical test against No. 15 Michigan, which could determine its playoff chances.
Oklahoma may face rival Texas without their starting quarterback, putting pressure on their top-ranked defense.
The matchup between No. 2 Oregon and No. 7 Indiana features two elite quarterbacks and could have major playoff implications.

The best offense in college football. One of the worst defenses in the Big Ten. On paper, very little has changed for Southern California.

The Trojans are averaging a Bowl Subdivision-best 8.5 yards per play. They rank fifth nationally in yards per carry. The passing game is one of three in the Power Four with at least 150 attempts and fewer than two interceptions.

But the defense ranks 82nd in the country in yards allowed per play even after opening the year against Missouri State and Georgia Southern. USC is allowing 6.5 yards per play and 27.3 points per game in three Big Ten matchups.

What could be a make-or-break year for coach Lincoln Riley hits a tipping point against No. 15 Michigan, the sort of physical, in-the-box opponent that has been the Trojans’ kryptonite since joining the Big Ten last season.

A year ago, the Wolverines ran for 290 yards and won by a field goal. Two games later, Minnesota went for 193 yards on the ground in an upset. Notre Dame had 258 yards on 6.8 yards per carry in taking the season finale.

Beating the Wolverines would offset a last-second loss to No. 17 Illinois and put USC on track for College Football Playoff contention heading into a second-half slate that includes road trips against No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 2 Oregon along with matchups against Nebraska and Iowa,

And given what’s to come in Big Ten play, a loss would essentially end the Trojans’ playoff quest, transforming the second half of the regular season into a referendum on Riley’s leadership of the program.

That puts USC front and center in the USA TODAY Sports preview of the team, game, coach and quarterback facing the most pressure in Week 7 of the regular season:

Team: Oklahoma

That the playoff selection committee is instructed to weigh injuries to key players “that may have affected a team’s performance” is a key factor behind the Red River Rivalry between No. 6 Oklahoma and Texas.

The Sooners may take on slumping Texas without quarterback John Mateer, who is questionable after surgery on his hand that was injure the team’s win against Auburn.

In his place would be Michael Hawkins Jr., who had 195 yards of offense and three passing touchdowns as the starter in last weekend’s shutout of Kent State. While Hawkins is a very serviceable backup – a rare and truly valuable commodity in the transfer-portal era – the offense clearly operates at a different frequency with Mateer under center.

And that’s the catch heading into the Cotton Bowl. Down the road, a loss to Texas could be minimized by a committee that evaluates the Sooners as two different teams: one that excelled with Mateer and one that struggled without.

But that argument only comes into play if Oklahoma has the end-of-year record to earn a place in the at-large playoff conversation.

At the very minimum, losing to the Longhorns would demand the Sooners go no worse than 4-2 against a schedule that brings No. 4 Mississippi, No. 11 LSU and No. 14 Missouri to Norman and sends the Sooners to No. 8 Alabama, No. 12 Tennessee and South Carolina.

One thing to keep in mind when assessing this matchup is the play of Oklahoma’s defense. With coach Brent Venables calling plays, the Sooners top the FBS in allowing just 193 per game and 3.5 yards per play. This group could make life miserable for Arch Manning and carry Hawkins and this offense across the finish line.

Game: No. 2 Oregon at No. 7 Indiana

This will be a matchup of elite quarterbacks: Dante Moore is the current Heisman Trophy leader for Oregon, a spot or two ahead of the Hoosiers’ Fernando Mendoza.

The two passers lead two elite offenses. Indiana ranks seventh nationally in yards per play and Oregon eighth. Indiana is fourth in scoring and Oregon sixth; the two teams are averaging a combined 94.4 points per game.

And the defenses aren’t bad, either. The Hoosiers are fifth in the country in yards given up per game and the Ducks rank seventh.

The picture is clear: These are two of the best teams in college football and this is one of the top matchups of the regular season.

The winner is on a downhill run to the playoff. Neither team faces another opponent ranked in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll, though the Ducks have to travel to Iowa and Washington. On paper, the Hoosiers’ toughest test might be a trip to Penn State in early November.

Coach: Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri

After a relatively easy five-game stretch to get started, Missouri’s season kicks into high gear against No. 8 Alabama, the first of four games against SEC teams ranked in the Coaches Poll. The Tigers are as much of any unknown as any unbeaten team in the country; that’ll change after this weekend.

Drinkwitz has seen his stock rise thanks to a 26-5 mark since the start of the 2023 season. This year’s strong beginning has moved him near the top of the list for Florida’s projected opening, should the axe ever fall on Billy Napier.

But one negative mark on an otherwise strong résumé has been struggles against Top 25 competition. Drinkwitz is 7-14 in games against ranked teams, including an 0-3 mark against ranked SEC opponents last season.

The Crimson Tide won 34-0 at Bryant-Denny Stadium and are 5-0 in the series since the Tigers joined the conference. The Tide have scored at least 34 points in all five wins and won each game by at least 19 points.

Quarterback: Arch Manning, Texas

Things will get very ugly for Texas and Manning should he come up short in a rivalry loss to the Sooners.

There are several reasons to think he’ll struggle in this matchup. The first is an Oklahoma defense that has been particularly dominant against the pass. The Sooners are giving up just 4.8 yards per attempt and did a number on Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, allowing him to hit on just 37.5% of his attempts in the non-conference win.

An even bigger issue has been the disjointed play of an offense that has been terrible against Power Four teams. After scoring just one touchdown in the opener against No. 1 Ohio State, the Longhorns ran for just 52 yards in last weekend’s loss to Florida.

A quarterback change isn’t really an option for Steve Sarkisian. While backup Matthew Caldwell was the primary starter at Troy last season and had a nice completion in his one attempt against the Gators, he doesn’t have the skill set to represent an upgrade over Manning.

That it’s Manning or bust increases the intensely unique pressures already heaped on the redshirt sophomore. Beating the Sooners could help salvage what is shaping up to be a lost season. But a loss could make things very difficult in the second half for Manning and the Longhorns given their massive preseason expectations.

College football coaching salaries have increased significantly since 2010.
Nick Saban is the highest-earning coach of the last 15 years, making over $112 million.
The list of top earners includes coaches like Dabo Swinney, Jimbo Fisher, and Kirk Ferentz.
Earnings are based on annual compensation and self-reported outside income, excluding bonuses or buyouts.

Quite a bit has changed in college football since 2010.

At that time, Nick Saban had only two national championships to his name. Georgia was a habitual underachiever desperately trying to win its first national title since 1980. Dabo Swinney was mired in a 6-7 campaign in his second full season at Clemson, with many wondering whether the recently-promoted wide receivers coach was fit for the job.

The Big East and Pac-12 existed. Kirk Ferentz was running a consistently successful, tough-minded Iowa program that routinely struggled to put up points — proving that even in a rapidly evolving sport, some things are timeless.

There’s at least one other notable shift in the sport during those 15 years: The most decorated coaches have grown significantly wealthier, racking up big wins on the field and cashing even bigger paychecks away from it.

Fifteen years ago, the highest-paid coach in the sport as chronicled by the USA TODAY coaches salary database was making just shy of $6 million. Last season, Georgia’s Kirby Smart topped the list at more than twice that amount, bringing in $13,282,580.

Coaching salaries and all the financial perks tucked within contracts have skyrocketed in that decade-and-a-half. As an already extremely well-paid profession has gotten that much more lucrative, who has made the most?

Here’s a look at the 10 head coaches who have earned the most money since 2010, based on basic annual compensation from their schools and self-reported outside income:

Note: This list only takes into account money earned as a college head coach. It also doesn’t include buyout money, bonuses or money earned during the current 2025 season, nor compensation earned as an assistant coach during that span.

Highest-paid college football coaches of the past 15 years

1. Nick Saban (Alabama; 14 seasons): $112,753,556

The most successful coach of the past 15 years was also the most well-compensated. As Saban led Alabama to five national championships from 2010-24, he made nearly $20 million more than the next-closest coach on this list.

2. Dabo Swinney (Clemson; 15 seasons): $94,001,506

Last month, amid a 1-2 start, Swinney defended his Clemson tenure and said he wouldn’t retire to a beach if the school decided to get rid of him. If he changed his mind, he would be able to afford it.

3. Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M, Florida State. 14 seasons): $82,352,567

To think, Fisher was paid only slightly more to coach for 14 largely successful seasons at Florida State and Texas A&M than he was not to coach the final eight years of his contract with the Aggies, who gave him a record buyout of more than $76 million when he was fired in 2023.

4. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa, 15 seasons): $72,986,000

The 70-year-old Ferentz is in his 27th season at Iowa, making him the longest-tenured active FBS coach. For all the jokes about his plodding offenses, there’s a reason he’s stuck around so long: Since going 4-19 in his first two seasons, he has won 65.5% of his games.

5. James Franklin (Penn State, Vanderbilt; 14 seasons): $69,292,771

Even with his well-documented struggles against top-10 opponents, Franklin built Penn State back into a national powerhouse and, prior to that, turned Vanderbilt into a consistent winner.

6. Kirby Smart (Georgia; nine seasons): $69,291,380

Smart has been a college head coach for the shortest period of anyone in the top 10, but he’s more than made up for lost time at Georgia, leading his alma mater to national titles in 2021 and 2022.

7. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State. 15 seasons): $67,500,000

8. Jim Harbaugh (Michigan, Stanford; 10 seasons): $66,725,001

Though Harbaugh only coached in college for 10 of the 15 seasons during this stretch, he was regularly among the highest-paid coaches, turning Stanford into an improbable national power and leading Michigan to its first national championship in a generation.

9. Mark Stoops (Kentucky; 12 seasons): $59,088,850

While he’d object to characterizing his employer as a basketball school, Stoops has won at a place few have. His teams have struggled of late, though, with a 1-9 record in SEC play since the start of the 2024 season.

10. Kyle Whittingham (Utah; 15 seasons): $56,280,851

The 65-year-old Whittingham has hinted at retirement, a move that would end one of the more impressive coaching runs in college football this century. Utah has gone 171-87 in 22 seasons under Whittingham.