Photo courtesy of CUBuffs.com
Updated October 31, 2026. BuffsBlog keeps this page current as the contract, the season and the coaching market change.
The short answer: Deion Sanders is under contract at Colorado through the 2029 season on a five-year, $54 million deal signed in March 2025. If CU fires him without cause, it owes him 75% of the salary left on the deal. After the 2026 season that is about $25.5 million. If Sanders leaves for another coaching job, he owes CU $10 million in 2026, and less every year after.
The contract at a glance
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Signed | March 28, 2025, approved by the CU Board of Regents |
| Length | Five years, through the 2029 season |
| Total value | $54 million, before incentives |
| Fired without cause | CU owes 75% of the remaining base and supplemental salary |
| Sanders leaves for another coaching job | He owes CU a set amount that drops every year (table below) |
| Sanders retires | He owes nothing, unless he takes another coaching job before 2029 |
| Previous deal | Five years, about $29.5 million, signed December 2022 |
Salary by year
| Season | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $10 million |
| 2026 | $10 million |
| 2027 | $11 million |
| 2028 | $11 million |
| 2029 | $12 million |
| Total | $54 million |
That makes Sanders the highest-paid coach in the Big 12 by about $2.6 million a year. Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham is next at $7.4 million, per On3’s 2026 salary list. The median for the conference’s coaches with public salaries is about $4.75 million.
What CU owes if it fires Sanders
A firing without cause costs Colorado 75% of what is left on the deal. The number shrinks every season he stays.
| Fired after the season of | Salary left | CU owes (75%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $44 million | about $33 million |
| 2026 | $34 million | about $25.5 million |
| 2027 | $23 million | about $17.3 million |
| 2028 | $12 million | about $9 million |
USA Today’s coaching salary database listed the figure at $33,625,000 for a firing before Dec. 31, 2025, which lines up with the 75% formula. A firing in the middle of a season adds 75% of whatever is left of that year’s salary.
What Sanders owes if he leaves
This clause only applies if Sanders takes another coaching job, college or pro, before the deal runs out. The new employer is allowed to pay it for him.
| Leaves on or before | Sanders owes CU |
|---|---|
| Dec. 31, 2025 | $12 million |
| Dec. 31, 2026 | $10 million |
| Dec. 31, 2027 | $6 million |
| Dec. 31, 2028 | $4 million |
| Dec. 31, 2029 | $3 million |
If he retires from coaching, he owes nothing. If he un-retires and coaches somewhere else before 2029, the clause comes back.
The real cost of a coaching change
The buyout is not the whole story. CU stops paying Sanders’ salary and starts paying a new coach. Here is the math for a change after the 2026 season, over the three years left on the deal (2027 through 2029).
| Scenario | Three-year cost | Extra cost vs. keeping Sanders, per year |
|---|---|---|
| Keep Sanders | $34.0 million | – |
| Buyout + coach at the Big 12 median ($4.75M) | $39.8 million | about $1.9 million |
| Buyout + coach at Collin Klein’s salary ($4.1M) | $37.8 million | about $1.3 million |
| Buyout + coach at Eric Morris’ salary ($3.8M) | $36.9 million | about $1.0 million |
Firing him by itself saves Colorado about $2.8 million a year: roughly $8.5 million a year in buyout against $11.3 million a year in salary. The new coach is what makes the change cost money. Even then, the net cost is about $1 million to $2 million a year.
This math assumes the buyout is spread over the remaining years and ignores assistant coaches, whose contracts are separate. If CU has to pay the buyout up front, or if Sanders’ staff buyouts are large, the number goes up. It also ignores what a coaching change does to ticket sales, donations and recruiting, which can cut either way.
Big 12 head coach salaries, 2026
| Coach | School | 2026 salary |
|---|---|---|
| Deion Sanders | Colorado | $10.0M |
| Kenny Dillingham | Arizona State | $7.4M |
| Sonny Dykes | TCU | $7.0M |
| Lance Leipold | Kansas | $6.7M |
| Joey McGuire | Texas Tech | $6.5M |
| Morgan Scalley | Utah | $5.0M |
| Willie Fritz | Houston | $4.5M |
| Scott Frost | UCF | $4.2M |
| Collin Klein | Kansas State | $4.1M |
| Eric Morris | Oklahoma State | $3.8M |
| Scott Satterfield | Cincinnati | $3.8M |
| Rich Rodriguez | West Virginia | $3.6M |
Source: On3’s 2026 college football coaching salaries. Morgan Scalley’s figure is the $5 million starting salary in the five-year, $27 million contract he signed when he replaced Kyle Whittingham in December 2025. Baylor is not listed: it fired Dave Aranda on Oct. 25, 2026, and Joe Klanderman is the interim coach. Coaches whose salaries are not public are not listed.
Incentives in the deal
- $150,000 for nine regular-season wins, plus $100,000 for each win after that
- $150,000 for playing in the Big 12 Championship Game
- $150,000 for a non-playoff bowl invitation
- $400,000 for winning the Big 12 title or reaching the first round of the College Football Playoff
- $100,000 for reaching the playoff semifinals, $200,000 for the title game and $250,000 for winning it
- $75,000 for Big 12 Coach of the Year and $150,000 for National Coach of the Year
Quick answers
How much is Deion Sanders’ buyout?
It depends on who ends the deal. If Colorado fires him without cause after the 2026 season, it owes him about $25.5 million, 75% of his remaining salary. If Sanders leaves for another coaching job in 2026, he owes CU $10 million.
How much does Deion Sanders make at Colorado?
$10 million in 2026, rising to $11 million in 2027 and 2028 and $12 million in 2029. That is the highest salary in the Big 12.
When does Deion Sanders’ contract end?
After the 2029 season.
Can Deion Sanders retire without paying a buyout?
Yes. The departure payment only applies if he takes another coaching job before the contract ends.
Sources
- ESPN: Deion Sanders lands $54M extension at Colorado (March 2025, contract obtained by ESPN)
- DenverSports: year-by-year salary, buyout and incentives (March 2025)
- Sports Illustrated: buyout schedule, per Sportico (March 2025)
- Sports Illustrated: the 75% without-cause clause, per the Daily Camera
- Pro Football Network: the $33,625,000 USA Today figure (November 2025)
- On3, 2026 college football coaching salaries
For the case for and against making the change, read What Would It Really Cost to Fire Deion Sanders?
Thanks for putting all of this info in one post – super helpful reference.