Mark Helfrich and His New Contract

Sometimes good things happen for good people. Mark Helfrich is a good person and has shown that he can coach, just a little bit (little sarcasm). On Monday, Helfrich went from one of the lowest paid Pac-12 coaches to one of the highest paid coaches in the conference.


After leading the Ducks into the inaugural College Football Playoff and into the National Championship game with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Helfrich got an extension of five years for $17.5 million dollars. The extension will take Helfrich through the 2019-2020 season. This was payday that was well deserved according to Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens. "Mark has provided tremendous leadership of our football program and the values and character that he insists upon are in line with our mission as an institution." said Mullens


Helfrich has done a tremendous job since being promoted from the offensive coordinator when Chip Kelly left for the NFL. Mark Helfrich grew up an Oregon fan, has led the Ducks to an astounding 24-4 record, with a Pac-12 Conference Championship included. The one thing that every Oregon is looking for still eludes Helfrich and the fan base. The National Championship. That is something that is at the top of his list, the teams list, and every Oregon fans list. With this contract, the expectations  get even more raised for Helfrich. The pressure mounts more. Not that the pressure wasn't there already for Helfrich and his staff, but it is there now.


Something that Helfrich will being showing us in 2015 is how he coaches without his Heisman Trophy winning quarterback. Marcus Mariota has left for the pro's and now Helfrich has to find the replacement for Mariota and at the same time continue the success he has provided the last couple of years.


Now, the numbers that come with this new deal are pretty good. It's a great gig if you can get it. He is guaranteed to make $3.15 million during the first year of the extension and in the final year of the extension he will earn $3.8 million. If Helfrich decides to leave for another job before the end of the second year of the extension he will be responsible for the $3 million buyout. That number drops to $2 million after the second year and to $1 million in year four of the contract.


He made a $1.8 this past year and made another $400,000 with incentives. He made $150,000 for appearing in the National Championship and another $100,000 for winning the Pac-12 Championship. The new deal also calls for an automatic roll-over if he wins at least 11 games and that one of those games includes one of the New Years Day bowl games. The games are the Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Peach, Rose, or Orange bowl games.


This is a good deal for Helfrich and for the program. It adds more stability to the program for the players and the coaches. They know that Helfrich is going to be the man in charge for the foreseeable future. Recruits will know that he's not going anywhere and that will help keep the recruits to their commitments. All in all, this is winning situation for the program and it will reap benefits for everybody concerned with the program. Just saying...