Belichick, NFL coaches reelin' in the big bucks

When it comes to creating Internet page views, few things can compete with creating a list.

The 10 best this. The 10 worst that. The five keys to a successful season.

Put a link to a list next to one that exposes some sort of public corruption, and the list will win every time.

We like lists, too. So we took great notice last week when Forbes published its list of the highest-paid coaches in sports.

Eight of the 10 coaches are in the NFL, led by the Patriots' Bill Belichick, who makes an estimated $7.5 million per year.

We say "estimated," because few people really know what these guys make. Unlike the contracts of players, coaches' contracts rarely, if ever, are made public. In New England, Belichick's salary is guarded like a treasured family recipe for chowder.

Forbes compiled the list based on sources and published reports. The list is a guestimate.

But it's fun reading, especially when you consider that three of the four coaches in the NFC West are on the list, including the Cardinals' Ken Whisenhunt ($5.75 million), who is tied for eighth.

A source of ours said that figure is correct.

New Rams coach Jeff Fisher ($7 million) is tied for second with three others, including Seattle's Pete Carroll. The only coach in the division not among the top 10 is the 49ers' Jim Harbaugh, who won 13 games and advanced to the NFC title game a year ago.

At $5 million per year, Harbaugh is slightly behind the Eagles' Andy Reid, who reportedly is making $5.5 million.

Two NBA coaches, the Celtics' Doc Rivers ($7 million) and the Spurs' Gregg Popovich ($6 million) are the only non-NFL coaches to make the top 10.

There are no hockey coaches and no baseball managers.
Money matters

The 10 highest-paid coaches in sports, according to Forbes:

Coach, team Salary

1. Bill Belichick, Patriots$7.5 million

2. Mike Shanahan, Redskins$7 million

2. Doc Rivers, Celtics$7 million

2. Jeff Fisher, Rams$7 million

2. Pete Carroll, Seahawks$7 million

6. Gregg Popovich, Spurs$6 million

6. Lovie Smith, Bears$6 million

8. Ken Whisenhunt, Cards$5.75 million

8. Mike Tomlin, Steelers$5.75 million

10. Andy Reid, Eagles$5.5 million

This article appeared in the Arizona Republic.

Posted by Necesitamos Mas Football on 2:30 p. m.. Filed under Bill Bilichick , noticias , principal . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0