Report: Alabama’s DeBoer rejected two Washington extensions worth $9.4 million annually.
Washington athletic director Troy Dannen had a “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.
DeBoer’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, who also represents Saban, did not counter UW’s final offer, according to The Seattle Times. The next day, DeBoer flew on a private jet from Seattle to Tuscaloosa, landing in front of hundreds of shivering Tide fans at the airport.
Details of DeBoer’s term sheet have yet to be disclosed, though it is expected that DeBoer will break the top 10 of national salaries. His buyout was $12 million. The Huskies eventually hired former Arizona coach Jedd Fisch to replace DeBoer.
“I need to thank some people back in Washington,” DeBoer said, getting emotional during his introductory press conference. “It’s a special place to be. It really is. This is one of the few places—maybe the only place—that I would’ve ever left to come coach at. I just want to tell everyone, because I know they are watching, that I love you. I will miss you, and I want nothing but the best for everyone back there.”
