Jimbo Fisher was one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. Still, athletic director Ross Bjork and the Texas A&M Aggies boosters were disappointed enough with Fisher’s on-field performance to fire him midseason anyway.
So, with such a huge contract, how much will the Aggies pay Jimbo Fisher?
Jimbo Fisher’s Contract and Buyout
Texas A&M hired Fisher in December of 2017 on a 10-year, $75 million contract. In 2021, he signed a massive extension through the 2031 season, averaging $9.5 million a year.
The most shocking thing about this extension is that it reportedly included a buyout clause in full.
Fisher, if fired, would be owed 100% of his remaining contract. Well, it happened, and now the Aggies owe Fisher over $75 million. According to AggiesWire, the exact buyout amount if Fisher is fired before the 2024 fiscal year is $76.8 million.
It’s unclear if Fisher will be owed more than that due to being fired before the end of the season. The school will have to pay Fisher his buyout, even if it has to be in installments.
Putting Fisher’s Buyout in Context
Fisher was the ninth-highest-paid college head coach, making an average annual salary of $9.1 million for the next 10 years. Accordingly, his $75 million-plus buyout is the highest in college football history.
That fact doesn’t put the absurdity of the situation in context, however.
Not only is Fisher’s buyout the highest in the sport’s history, but it beats number two by over $50 million.
Previously, Gus Malzahn’s Auburn buyout was the highest in the sport’s history, at $21.45 million, per The Athletic’s Chris Vannini. Fisher will be owed more than three times that. It is still unclear if he will be paid the entirety of his buyout immediately or if the two parties will agree to some sort of installment plan.
Texas A&M has the money to pay Fisher and it should come out in the next few days what those terms might be. Either way, it’s unlikely any coach is paid as much in a firing as Fisher for a very long time, if ever.