ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects NFL teams ‘to call and inquire’ about Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian came to Austin with full intention of lifting the Longhorns back to national prominence. He said this season he’s “obsessed” with winning a national championship. But could Sarkisian be tempted to go elsewhere after the College Football Playoffs? And leave just before the Arch Manning era begins full throttle? ESPN’s NFL […]
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian came to Austin with full intention of lifting the Longhorns back to national prominence. He said this season he’s “obsessed” with winning a national championship.
But could Sarkisian be tempted to go elsewhere after the College Football Playoffs? And leave just before the Arch Manning era begins full throttle?
ESPN’s NFL reporter Adam Schefter casually threw out Sunday that league owners may come poking around after this season.
“I expect some teams to call and inquire about the Texas head coach, Steve Sarkisian, who’s dram some interest from the NFL level,” Schefter said during a segment about coaching changes.
WATCH AND SUBSCRIBE: Follow A to Z Sports’ Texas Longhorns channel on YouTube.
In four seasons at Texas, Sarkisian is 38-16. His first team went 5-7, but the Horns have since reached back-to-back CFP appearances and played for two conference championships.
Sarkisian signed a five-year deal when he first arrived in January 2021 but a considerable pay raise and four-year extension last January after the Horns won the Big 12 title. He went from making $5.6 million to $10.3 million annually. All of his money at UT is guaranteed.
Texas HC Steve Sarkisian admits he’s fascinated by North Carolina hiring longtime NFL coach Bill Belichick
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian admitted earlier this year that he went around talking to various NFL personnel asking for input. How do you manage a longer season? How do you handle bye weeks? How do you prepare for the playoffs? One of those NFL people Sarkisian visited with was Bill Belichick. “I actually had a […]
With $100,000 annual escalator clauses, Sarkisian should remain one of the top five highest-paid college coaches in the nation for the next several years. If Texas wins the national championship this season, he could earn another $1.5 million in bonuses.
But jumping from college to the NFL is not about money.
For some coaches, it’s about escaping the craziness that is college football, specifically today’s recruiting lifestyle and players demanding name, image and likeness payments. That is what helped drive Nick Saban out of coaching, along with several other big names in multiple sports.
Sarkisian also admitted he spent last offseason talking with NFL coaches like Andy Reid about how they prepare for longer seasons. UT (13-2) is headed into its 16th game of the year this week against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
Sarkisian would intrigue any NFL owner just on offensive creativity alone. This season, he designed a play against Florida with two fakes before quarterback Quinn Ewers handled it off for an end-around. The Kansas City Chiefs ended up running that play a few weeks later.
Sarkisian was the Oakland Raiders’ quarterback coach in 2004 and the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2017-18, so the NFL wouldn’t be foreign to him.
It’s an intriguing question, for sure. But one that Sarkisian likely won’t entertain until the Longhorns’ season is complete.
