In December, Iowa State kept Paul Rhoads from potentially leaving for a then-vacant Pitt opening by offering him an extension and raise said to be worth $20 million over the next 10 years.
Yesterday, the specifics of Rhoads’ new contract were released.
Rhoads will make $1.6 million in 2012 as part of his new contract -- a decent raise from the $1.15 million he was making in 2011. His salary will increase by $100,000 every year for the next 10 years, resulting in $2.5 million in 2021.
Whether Rhoads will still be the coach at Iowa State in 2021 remains to be seen. He’s proven he can win at a place where, if we can be candid, wins rarely come easy. ISU’s athletic budget isn’t the biggest -- in fact, it’s the smallest in the Big 12 -- but it’s clear the athletic administration has made every call, pulled every string they can to keep Rhoads.
And it looks like Rhoads understands and appreciates that. The $2.5 million he’s guaranteed to get in 2021 is a pretty hefty price tag at most football programs, but with the success Rhoads has had at Iowa State, he could probably get that within the next five years if he’d taken another job.
Who knows how long Rhoads will be at ISU -- maybe it is his last job -- but the Cyclones can take comfort in knowing that each year Rhoads is around that he’ll be getting the most out of that team.