Andy Reid has built an unprecedented resume on the field as the only coach with 100 NFL coaching wins for two different franchises. After back-to-back Super Bowl titles, the Kansas City Chiefs rewarded Big Red in 2024 with a five-year contract worth $20 million annually on average.

Reid stood alone in the $20 million club the last two seasons after Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways. But a flurry of new contracts in 2026 has two more coaches on par with Reid and another pair knocking at the door of $20 million, based on a half-dozen conversations with those familiar with NFL coaching contracts.

Last year, the Baltimore Ravens signed John Harbaugh to a three-year contract extension worth an estimated $16 million per year. Yet the Ravens’ all-time winningest coach was fired after an 8-9 season. It set off a feeding frenzy, as clubs with and without head coaches called Harbaugh’s agent at Excel Sports Management. The New York Giants ultimately signed him to a five-year deal worth roughly $100 million, tying Reid as the highest-paid coach in American sports by average annual value (AAV). Salary estimates are before any incentives.

Sean Payton has turned around the Denver Broncos, who endured seven straight losing seasons before back-to-back playoff appearances. In June, the club announced Payton agreed to a new five-year contract through 2030, replacing his previous deal worth $18 million annually. The new pact is on par with Reid and Harbaugh, according to multiple people.

Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan are considered two of the best offensive minds in the sport, and their respective NFC West clubs rewarded them with new deals in 2026 that are estimated to be a tick lower than the top trio at roughly $19 million a year.

McVay and Shanahan, who are close friends, are both in their 10th season as head coaches, and McVay is just 40, while Shanahan is only 46. By comparison, Reid, Harbaugh and Payton have a combined 66 seasons in charge on the sidelines, and Payton is the youngest at 62.

The NFL’s opening weekend featured four of the five coaches above squaring off, with Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers topping McVay’s Los Angeles Rams in Australia, and Reid’s Chiefs rolling over Payton’s Broncos, 31-10.

After the tightly bunched top five, there is a drop-off to $16 million for Jim Harbaugh, and then a trio of coaches at $15 million.

The “not for long” moniker is attached to the NFL for players’ short careers and lack of job security. The same could apply to its coaches. Ten teams hired new coaches for the 2026 season, while seven did for 2025—the Las Vegas Raiders did both seasons. It means half the league’s coaches have been in charge one season or less entering the 2026 season. Only five coaches have been in their current positions for six full seasons.

The latest turnover is not unique, with nine, five and eight coaches hired in the three prior years. Since 2002, the Raiders have hired 13 coaches, excluding interims, followed by the Cleveland Browns (10) and Miami Dolphins (nine).

Klint Kubiak will look to buck that trend with the Raiders. He got the job after helping the Seahawks win the Super Bowl as their offensive coordinator. The AAV of his five-year Raiders deal is an estimated $12 million.

The starting head coach pay for in-demand coordinators has soared in recent years. Last year, it was Ben Johnson ($13 million), Aaron Glenn ($12 million) and Liam Coen ($10 million). In addition to Kubiak, this year’s crop of first-time head coaches included Jesse Minter ($12 million) and Jeff Hafley ($11 million).

The cutoff for the top 10 is $14 million, up from $13 million last season and $9 million in 2023. Sportico estimates that 21 coaches are making at least $10 million this season.

The NFL is the richest sports league in the world, with league revenue of $24 billion and the average team worth $9.34 billion, according to Sportico’s NFL valuations. NFL coaching pay has soared since it averaged below $300,000 in the late 1980s, but it still isn’t close to that of top players. Twenty-seven NFL players will make $35 million or more this year, and more than 125 players will make at least $20 million.