If you asked Ed Orgeron truthfully, he’d probably say he would be LSU’s head coach for free. That’s how much this dream job means to the Louisiana native.
That said, he’s still getting paid. Quite handsomely in fact.
Orgeron’s contract details were released to the Baton Rouge Advocate this week and it appears the Tigers’ head coach will indeed make $3.5 million a season as part of the five-year deal he agreed to a while back. That’s a little behind the eight-ball in terms of SEC West salaries but still in the upper tier nationally for head coaches.
More interesting than that base number however, Orgeron is set to take in as much as $1.5 million in possible incentive bonuses. That’s a big number and, per the Advocate, nearly double the amount that former head coach Les Miles had in his contract.
Even more eye-catching is the buyout number for Orgeron. That checks in at a whopping $12 million after the upcoming season, then dips to $8.5 million in 2018, $6 million in 2019 and $4.5 million in 2020.
For a head coach without a ton of leverage in the situation, Orgeron’s agent sure did get a hefty number to keep the school tied to him for the next several seasons.