Washington athletic director Troy Dannen had “pause” after Kalen DeBoer didn’t sign an “unprecedented” extension the Huskies issued last season. In the end, DeBoer would receive two contract offers from UW, turning down both before becoming the 28th head coach in Alabama football history.
The Seattle Times reported the financial details of the rejected proposals on Friday night, confirming Dannen’s statements made at the W Bellevue Hotel via a public records request.
First, DeBoer rejected a seven-year deal that would’ve brought him $8.5 million annually. It would’ve increased to $9 million in 2030. Then, on Jan. 11, DeBoer received another offer with a base salary of $9 million that maxed out at $9.6 million.
DeBoer — who led the Huskies to a College Football Playoff championship appearance in his second season — earned $4.2 million last fall. That figure was 44th-highest among head coaches, per a USA Today database.
“When it wasn’t signed, Kalen said the right things publicly, and I said the right things publicly … but it gives you pause,” Dannen said.
Dannen called it a “Big 10″ offer, a nod to Washington’s changing conference alignment, which will lead to larger TV deals and revenue-sharing sums than UW got from the Pac-12. The $9.4 million annual figure would’ve ranked seventh nationally, ahead of Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher. Nick Saban made more than $11.4 million in 2023, the most of any coach.
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