Cal was so pleased by the 5-7 to 7-6 jump in Justin Wilcox‘s second season as head coach that the powers that be up and gave him a new contract. The deal was agreed to back in December, and we now have the details thanks to Cal Bears Maven.
After earning a paltry $1.5 million in 2018, last in the Pac-12 according to USA Today, Wilcox will leap to $2.5 million this year. After that, his salary moves to $3.05 million in 2020 and continues climbing to $3.6 million by 2023, the final year of the contract.
All told, Wilcox is set to earn at least $15.9 million in guaranteed salary, so long as he remains Cal’s head coach through the life of the contract.
The bonus structure ranges from $25,000 for reaching bowl eligibility to $500,000 for an undefeated regular season. Should Wilcox lead Cal to an undefeated national championship in 2023 (stay with me here), he would earn at least $4.5 million when accounting for bonuses -- or half of Dabo Swinney‘s regular salary.