Whilst the quarterback might be the most important position on the field in the sport of American Football, one man still holds the ultimate power over the team and the franchise, and that’s the head coach.
It takes a lot to be a head coach in the National Football League. With so many intricate parts of the game that need to be dissected, analysed and then worked on ahead of gameday, then having to work out which plays to call at the right time.
Now they do have coordinators and assistant coaches that they can delegate to and help them with their tasks and getting players ready, but at the end of the day the buck stops with them. As Denzel Washington’s character Herman Boone said in the 2005 film Remember The Titans “I have never seen an assistant coach's name in the newspaper for losing a game.”
As a result, they are paid some very high amounts when it comes to their salaries, which can often come in handy for them if they suddenly find themselves out of a job off the back of one bad year.
But just how much are they paid and are the team that pay them getting good value for money?
Using figures from SportsNaut, we look at who are the top 10 highest-paid coaches in the NFL when it comes to their annual salary:
10 - Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers, $5m a year
Oct 28, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur reacts against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
9 - Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals, $5.5m a year
Aug 29, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury looks on in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
8 - Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders, $7m a year
Jun 14, 2022; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera speaks to the media prior to day one of minicamp at The Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
6 - Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs, $8m a year
Jan 16, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid looks on during the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Wild Card playoff football game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
6 - Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers, $8m a year
Jun 9, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin participates in minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
5 - Matt Rhule, Carolina Panthers, $8.5m a year
Sep 23, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule looks up during the second half against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
4 - John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens, $9m a year
Jul 26, 2019; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks to the media during training camp at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
3 - Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks, $11m a year
Dec 5, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll walks on the sideline during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
2 - Bill Belichick, New England Patriots, $12.5m a year
Oct 31, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
1 - Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams, $15-18m a year
American Football - NFL - Super Bowl LVI - Cincinnati Bengals v Los Angeles Rams - SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California, United States - February 13, 2022 Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LVI REUTERS/Mike Segar
So as you can see they aren’t nearly paid as much as some quarterbacks are around the league, but it is still a very handsome sum in the grand scheme of things.
But at least you can say this is a good example of the successful coaches being paid what they’re worth, as 6 of the top 10 (Reid, Tomlin, Harbaugh, Carroll, Belichick and McVay) have all won Super Bowls with their current team.