SEATTLE — The University of Washington announced on Tuesday a three-year contract extension and raise for football coach Chris Petersen that will make him the highest-paid coach among public schools in the Pac-12.
Petersen, 52, had signed a two-year extension through the 2020 season in November 2015 after agreeing to a five-year contract when he took the job in December 2013. The new agreement extends his contract through the 2023 season and will pay him $34.125 million in total compensation over the next seven years — an average of $4.875 million per year.
“Chris Petersen represents all of our core values, and has demonstrated success in every area of his program,” UW athletic director Jen Cohen said in a statement released by the school. “His teams have performed extremely well on the field and have accomplished remarkable things in the classroom and the community. We are very fortunate to have Chris guiding our program and we want to ensure that he and his staff have everything they need to sustain a championship culture here at Washington.”
Petersen was originally due $3.8 million in 2017 and $4 million in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Under the terms of the new deal, his total compensation this year will be $4.125 million, increasing to $4.375 million in 2018, $4.625 million in 2019, $4.875 million in 2020, $5.125 million in 2021, $5.375 million in 2022 and $5.625 million in 2023, the final year of the contract.
(In addition to his base salary and “additional compensation” as detailed in a copy of the contract addendum released by the school, Petersen is due $700,000 annually in supplemental benefits and $350,000 in licensing fees, per his original contract. The above figures include those payments.)
“The University of Washington is such a special place, and it is a great fit for me and my family,” Petersen said in a statement released by the school. “I am honored to work alongside such a talented staff, and this extension demonstrates the University’s commitment to investing in a championship program. I want to thank Jennifer Cohen for her leadership, as well as all the fans and donors who provide such incredible support of Husky football.”
UW also increased its salary pool for assistant coaches to $4.675 million from the roughly $3.54 million it paid last season. Each assistant earned a raise and an extension through the 2018 season.
Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski tops the list with an annual salary of $875,000 — a raise of $275,000 — highest of any assistant coach in school history. Offensive coordinator Jonathan Smith will be paid $700,000, a raise of $260,000. Defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake will be paid $650,000, a raise of $150,000.
Linebackers coach and special-teams coordinator Bob Gregory will make $550,000, new offensive line coach Scott Huff will make $500,000, new receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Matt Lubick will make $475,000, running backs coach Keith Bhonapha will make $330,000, defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe will make $330,000, and tight ends coach Jordan Paopao will make $265,000.
In his first three seasons at Washington, Petersen has led the Huskies to a 27-14 record, highlighted by last season’s Pac-12 championship and College Football Playoff appearance. He has an overall record of 119-26 in 11 seasons as a head coach, including 92 victories in eight seasons at Boise State.
According to USA Today’s coach salaries database, Stanford coach David Shaw was the Pac-12’s highest-paid coach in 2016 at $4.067 million. Stanford and USC, the league’s two private schools, are not required to release employee salary information.
