The list of demands included a $4 million-a-year salary over eight years, a $25.2 million guarantee on Day 1 of his contract and unlimited use of a private jet.
In the end, one source said, it was too high a price to pay for Greg Schiano.
Rutgers University has ended its weeks-long courtship to bring back Schiano as head football coach, sources say. No one will officially disclose why the university walked away, but one source with knowledge of the negotiations said Schiano’s demands for a longer contract than the university had offered, and the additional perks he sought — including the use of a private jet — played no small role. Although there had been ongoing discussion about the length of the contract, the university offered a six-year contract, but Schiano wanted eight years, the source said.
According to a copy of the term sheet acquired by NJ Advance Media, which had been shared with members of the university’s board of governors, the proposed deal would have tied Schiano as the 10th highest paid coach in the Big Ten Conference.
Among the proposed deal points:
- An annual salary of $4 million for each of the next eight seasons through February 2028, with $400,000 retention bonuses every two years after the second year of his contract.
- A $25.2 million guarantee if the university were to terminate his contract without cause before 2021. That guarantee would go down in later years in increments, to $4.2 million by 2026.
- Unlimited use of a private jet for all recruiting activities and for all non-recruiting program and university-related travel.
- Bonuses if season ticket benchmarks were reached.
There were also provisions for a car, private golf club membership, spousal and family travel to games and a $100,000 relocation and temporary lodging bonus.
In addition, the proposed deal included a pledge to expand and improve the university’s football facilities by 2023, or Schiano could leave without penalty, and called for an initial salary pool set at $7.7 million for the 10 full-time assistant coaches and other support staff members, which would increase annually by no less than 3%.
Rutgers had originally offered the same salary to the former coach for a six-year, $24 million deal, according to a source familiar with the offer. The source said Schiano’s agent countered on Tuesday, asking for eight years. and additional perks. The source said that the counter offer was never presented to the university’s board of governors, and was ultimately rejected by Rutgers Athletic Director Patrick Hobbs.
Under the proposal, while Schiano would have reported directly to Hobbs, he would have the authority to “employ, manage, discipline and terminate all assistant coaches.” In addition, the deal points called for him to have “discretionary authority over football-specific matters, including football program facilities and operations.”
There were bonuses as well for post-season bowls, conference championships and top 25 rankings, which were unlikely to be paid in the near term given a program that found new ways every week this season to lose.
Schiano would have been liable to pay the university an $8 million buyout if he left to accept employment as head football coach at any other collegiate institution before 2020.
Schiano’s falling out of contention was first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel. Sources say the collapse of the deal now opens up the search process.
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Many say Schiano’s requests were not outside the mainstream of how other Big Ten programs invest and operate in terms of head coach and assistant salaries, support staff and facilities. Head football coaches in the Big Ten currently make between $1.8 million and $7.5 million a year. Former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash’s salary was $2.3 million when he was fired.
But a source close to the head coach search effort said the roadblock was more than just the salary, and suggested that other individuals who might have considered the Rutgers coaching position had not sought the job because their agents had believed it was already locked down for Schiano.
That source said it is expected that Rutgers will name someone “soon after the season ends.”
NJ Advance Media reported earlier Sunday that Michigan linebackers coach Anthony Campanile and Los Angeles Rams offensive assistant Jedd Fisch had emerged as top alternate candidates in the event the school could not hire Schiano.
In his 11 years at Rutgers, Schiano was credited with building the Scarlet Knights into a frequent bowl participant before leaving for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in early 2012.
Schiano, 53, spent three seasons as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator and was going to work with the New England Patriots earlier this year before electing to take the season off.
Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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