UNC releases Bill Belichick contract: $10M a year, plenty of extras

Bill Belichick will earn $10 million a year as football coach at North Carolina, with the opportunity to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars more in bonuses.

The university released the 29-page signed contract Thursday, following recent questions as to why the 72-year-old Belichick hadn't yet signed the deal as rumors of a possible interest in an NFL head-coaching vacancy swirled.

He was hired Dec. 11 and has been hard at work recruiting, already signing 21 players to the roster even before officially signing the deal.

The contract calls for Belichick to pay the school a $10 million buyout if he leaves the Tar Heels before June 1, and $1 million after his first season through the end of the deal.

The university is guaranteeing his contract for only the first three seasons. If he is fired without cause during the last two years of the contract, beginning Jan. 1, 2028, he will receive no payment.

The contract includes a variety of bonuses that coincide with how the Tar Heels play on the field to how well the players perform in the classroom.

An eight-win regular season would bring Belichick $150,000, with each win on top of eight resulting in an additional $50,000 bonus. Winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title would add $300,000 to his pay.

Making the 12-team College Football Playoff would give Belichick a $750,000 jackpot. Reaching the quarterfinals would pay $1 million, with an additional $250,000 for each game won. Should the Tar Heels win the national championship, therefore, Belichick's CFP bonus would earn him $1.75 million.

Bonuses for team grade-point average begin at $50,000 and rise as the grades do.

The other perks are generous, too.

Among them, the university will pay for Belichick's membership to the Chapel Hill Country Club, give him $100,000 in relocation fees, supply him and at least 10 staff members with a car, and provide access to a suite at all home and away games.

--Field Level Media