Good post, but can I add: Stop structuring these dumbass buyouts based on a percentage of years remaining that basically prevent you from ever extending a coach without increasing it to some absurd amount like $15M
This place is like the Hotel California of the internet... you can log off any time you like, but you can never leave.
It’s the way it’s done, but it doesn’t have to be the way it’s done. You’d probably have to give somewhere else to change it, but I’d certainly take an exorbitant buyout in the first two years in order to get a sane buyout afterwards. I suppose the corollary is that if you offer a contract like this, don’t extend it until you absolutely have to.
A .22 rifle will put a cat out of its misery. If they're going to continue to hire coordinators and other unproven commodities, there's no logical reason to continue to give them such sweet, sweet buyouts.
Right, the sweet buyouts are for proven commodities not for coordinators getting theis 1st shot or head coach up and comers and yea you'll have the occasional Kiffen issue but that's just part of the deal and why you should always keep fresh list of candidates.
Then don't hire people with established big time representation and pedigrees. If we are comfortable going to the FCS division and finding complete unknowns, we can stop playing the Sexton game. We can't get both. We can't be going for established D-1 coaches AND not play the big buyout game. Because they know they are likely to be fired eventually.
I just don't want to see people who don't want massive buyouts still expecting "ess-eee-see" experience.
I take the point—I’m not sure we can reasonably do a Lovie Smith contract and still get a quality candidate. But something has to give if we want to find our way out of the doom cycle. I would be totally fine offering an absurd buyout in the first two years in exchange for it dropping to sane levels in years 3 and beyond. But if we’re stuck with the same contract structure that’s now become standard, then we have to quit with the “coach always has to have four years left on his deal or else people will negatively recruit, so let’s grant extensions for 8-5 seasons.” I’d rather structure the buyout differently and let us give extensions that don’t spiral the buyout. But either of the two will work.