The initial wave of national reports regarding Sean Payton becoming the next coach of the Denver Broncos said nothing about what he’ll be paid. At least one local report suppled that information.
That information, as we’ll explain in a moment, also may be incomplete.
Mike Klis of 9News.com reports that Payton will receive “somewhere between” $17 million and $20 million per year, on a contract that will last at least five years.
Payton reportedly had been seeking between $20 million and $25 million per year. The Dolphins were reportedly ready to pay him that much last year, when secretly courting Payton and quarterback Tom Brady.
The reality is that Payton may still get there. As previously explained, the highest-paid NFL coaches get more money off the books from sources other than the team itself. It’s a way to properly compensate the coach without further blowing the official compensation curve. And it’s permissible because there’s no salary cap for coaching.
That’s why our general position when hearing how much one of the highest-paid coaches is making is to assume the truth is more.