The National Football League has faced allegations and lawsuits for years regarding collusion at the highest level. Now, there appears to be a growing contingent of people who believe NFL teams are conspiring when it comes to how much head coaches are paid.
Many of the financial details behind pro football are well-documented public knowledge. Salaries for the highest-paid NFL players and even annual NFL revenue can be found easily. The amount television networks are paying both for football games and the broadcasting teams calling those games are also known.
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However, much less is known about how much coaches are being paid. It’s one of the best-kept secrets in pro football, with vague estimates and salary ranges often the only reports suggesting the pay structures for the best coaches in football and first-year coaches.
Following another hiring cycle that saw eight head coaches hired, including one internal promotion thanks to a rare contract clause, there now appears to be some belief that NFL teams are conspiring when it comes to the salaries of head coaches.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, many believe teams collude regarding head-coach pay. The thinking is that owners have a “loose understanding” when it comes to how much head coaches will be paid and what salaries they will not go up to for coaches.
Part of the theory is tied to the very nature of how teams pay their head coaches. There’s a listed salary reported to the league and a widespread belief that some of the top head coaches receive money paid through businesses owned by the team’s owner.
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Florio previously wrote in 2021 that people inside the league disclosed some of the top-paid coaches were making far more than their listed salaries in the NFL database. The money would be coming from companies owned by the team owner that are paid out each year. Importantly, this wouldn’t be a violation of league rules.
The theory might help explain previous reporting this offseason that teams were scared off by the salary demands of Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. While first-year head coaches are often making more than $5 million per season, it’s believed that few clear double-figures early on. With NFL revenge skyrocketing each year, it’s at least possible the inflation of salaries for head coaches hasn’t matched the rapid increase in player salaries.
