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Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi joined The Ringer’s NFL podcast and told us something new about head coach Kyle Shanahan: He has no offset language in his contract.
“There’s no offset clause in your contract, which is significant in the NFL,” Lombardi said as part of a larger topic. “Which means if Kyle Shanahan gets fired in year two, he gets all his money and can double dip, which is unheard of in the NFL.”
Jim Tomsula had offset language in his contract, and now he’s being paid to coach defensive line for the Redskins. Let’s say Washington is paying him $800,000 and the 49ers owed him $3 million. The offset language means Jed York would pay Tomsula $2.2 million instead. It’s language that is in nearly every NFL contract, including players. It’s advantageous for ownership to have these clauses to save money.
So while Shanahan was insistent at his opening press conference that he didn’t demand full control of the roster or other football operations leverage points, he did make sure he set himself up with the sweetest contract in the league.
“I’ve been in a lot of different organizations and there’s lots of things that I believe are important to consistently win and to be able to talk to Jed realistically where we thought the team was at and where we thought it could go and to not hold anything back and to see how he reacted and to understand his commitment,” Shanahan said at his opening presser. “When a guy is committed and gives you a six-year contract and shows that he’s willing to give you some time.”
It probably forced York to bite his knuckles in private room, but after ridding himself of three coaches in three seasons, the CEO had to expect ridiculous contract demands from arguably the most qualified coaching candidate on the market.
York, of course, is also paying Chip Kelly and his coaching staff for the next few seasons. Kelly inked a four-year, $24 million deal last January and was fired after a 2-14 season.