Mario Cristobal New Oregon Deal Would Be Six-Year, $27 Million

Mario Cristobal's name came up in rumors in the Auburn coaching search, and that was apparently enough leverage to line up his extension to stay at Oregon. The Oregonian reports that Oregon's board of trustees is voting today on whether to approve a six-year $27 million deal.

The deal would raise Cristobal's base salary from $2.7 million per year to $4.55 million. He would go from being the second-worst paid head coach in the Pac-12 to being fourth-highest paid. He'll now be making just $450K less per year than the conference's highest paid coach, Kyle Whittingham of Utah. There are all sorts of other attainable bonuses as well.

Of course, this does not exactly mean that Cristobal will be the coach at Oregon for six more years. They could fire him for performance, or another school could still pluck him away. This is college football, after all.

Pertinent to next year's coaching carousel, Cristobal's buyout goes from $8 million to $9 million in his new deal. The buyout will have annual decreases beginning on January 14, 2022.

Last season, Oregon went 12-2, winning the Pac-12 and the Rose Bowl. They are 3-2 this year, but they find themselves in the Pac-12 title game again, replacing a Washington team with COVID-19 issues.