Top 20 Richest NFL Coaches in the World in 2024

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Have you ever watched your favorite NFL team and thought, “Wow, these guys get paid a lot to do what they love?” It’s true, but compared to other big sports, football players don’t get paid much when you consider the risk pay and the fact that they can’t count on getting a deal.

The coaches, on the other hand, are less likely to get hurt, but their jobs rest on them being able to get the players to win, which is not an easy thing to do. Some better-ranked teams could let them go after a few bad years, so they are under much pressure to do well. In case you were wondering, we did some study and came up with this list of the world’s top 20 richest NFL coaches.

Top 20 Richest NFL Coaches in the World

Here’s what we know about the richest NFL coaches in the world in 2024.

1. Jimmy Johnson

Net worth: $160 million

Jimmy Johnson is the NFL coach who has made the most money. He is now worth $160 million thanks to coaching, but he has also left behind a heritage. In 1965, he started as a football coach when Louisiana Tech University hired him as an assistant coach. He became a coach at several schools, including the University of Miami, where the team lost a lot and needed rebuilding.

The team, which had lost many more games than it won before he took over, went on to have a perfect year. He left Miami to coach the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. Back in the 1990s, the team went on to win the Super Bowl twice in a row. He moved from Dallas to Miami to become the head coach of the Dolphins. Johnson is one of the best coaches in NFL history, even though he didn’t have as much success as he did with the Cowboys. He has become one of the most talked-about people in football news.

2. Bill Belichick

Net worth: $60 million

Bill Belichick, who has been an NFL coach for seven years, has proven he is one of the best teachers ever. His many NFL records include the most Super Bowl wins as a head coach and overall (6 and 8), the most Super Bowl appearances as a head coach and overall (9 and 12), the most playoff wins as a head coach (31), and the most divisional titles as a head coach (17).

Since Tom Brady moved to Tampa Bay three years ago, things have not been as easy. But with each victory, Belichick gets closer to passing Don Shula and George Halas as the NFL coach with the most wins ever. One thing that he has done for them? One of the NFL head coaches who makes the most money.

3. Don Shula

Net worth: $60 Million

With 328 wins, Don Shula is the NFL head coach with the most wins ever. Only Bill Belichick, currently at 259, is even close among coaches still in the game.

Shula won two Super Bowls as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He was in charge during the teams’ most successful times, when Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, and Mercury Morris played, and Dan Marino led the team in the 1980s and 1990s. After a successful stint as a coach, Shula gave his name to a chain of successful steakhouses.

4. Mike Shanahan

Net worth: $40 Million

During his time as a teacher, Mike Shanahan made much money. In the late 1990s, he helped the Denver Broncos win two Super Bowls. After leaving the Broncos and taking a break from coaching, Shanahan returned in 2010 and got a seven-year, $35 million deal with the Washington Redskins.

Shanahan had a rough time in Washington. The signing of Donovan McNabb was a mistake, and Robert Griffin III never lived up to his early potential. Shanahan was fired in 2013, even though he had a big deal.

5. Pete Carroll

Net worth $40 million

Since 2010, Carroll has been the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. In those 12 years, he has taken the team to the playoffs 10 times. Seattle beat the Broncos to win Super Bowl XLVIII. The next year, though, they lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Carroll is 71 years old, and the NFL’s most senior head coach, but his new deal runs until 2025.

6. Jim Harbaugh

Net worth: $35 million

Jim Harbaugh is an American football coach with a net worth of about USD 35 Million. At a time, he was known as one of Michigan State University’s best football players. At one point, he was also thought to be one of the best players in the NFL. People know him as a teacher, and he is worth $35 million. Jim Harbaugh is his name.

The Chicago Bears picked him up in the draft. In 2001, he got his first real job as a coach when San Diego and Stanford University made him their head coach. Do you know that he helped the team’s coach for free while he was playing professional football? Yes. From 1994 to 2001, he helped the coach.

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7. Andy Reid

Net worth: $30 million

Reid is a good deal for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is sixth on this list. He couldn’t win the big game until he found Patrick Mahomes, but since 2018, when he got the NFL’s best quarterback, he hasn’t blown his chance. He has been to five straight AFC title games, three Super Bowls, and won the whole thing twice. After 14 years with the Philadelphia Eagles, his second ring came in his 10th year with the Kansas City Chiefs.

8. Sean Payton

Net worth: $24 Million

Sean Payton started at San Diego State University as an offensive aid. He was also an assistant coach at Indiana State University, Miami University, and the University of Illinois. Sean Payton got a job as Quarterbacks Coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997. Then, he was the New York Giants Quarterbacks Coach before he was moved to Offensive Coordinator.

And in 2003, Sean Payton worked with Bill Parcells at the Dallas Cowboys as an assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. In 2004, he became a very popular coach, so the Cowboys gave him a pay raise and moved to Assistant Head Coach/Passing Game Coordinator the following year.

9. Jeff Fisher

Net worth: $20 million

Jeff Fisher was born in Culver City, California, and went to Taft High School. He was an All-American football player there. He then went to the University of Southern California, where he continued to stand out. He was on the 1978 title team and was named a Pac-10 All-Academic player. He started playing for the Chicago Bears in 1981, but a broken leg and a bad ankle injury made it so he could no longer play.

Almost immediately, he started teaching, first as a defensive assistant for the Chicago Bears and then as a defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the next few years, he worked his way up. He was the defensive coordinator for the Eagles, the Rams, and the 49ers before becoming the head coach of the Houston Oilers, who later changed their name to the Tennessee Titans.

At first, he did well with the Titans, but in the 2000s, the team started to have a lot of ups and downs. After coaching the Titans for a record 16 years, Mr. Fisher took over as head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

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10. Lovie Smith

Net worth: $20 million

Lovie Smith was born in May 1958 in Gladewater, Texas. As a defensive end and linebacker in high school, Smith was named to the all-state team. From 1973 to 1975, Smith’s team won the state title three times in a row. Smith became a coach at his old high school, Big Sandy High School, in 1980. He was in charge of the defense. From 1981 to 1982, he helped the head coach at Cascia Hall Prep. From 1983 to 1986, Smith was the safeties coach at Tulsa, another school he attended.

Smith was a safeties coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2000. This was his first job in the NFL. From 2001 to 2003, he was in charge of the St. Louis Rams’ defense. In 2004, Lovie was hired by the Chicago Bears to be their head coach. He was there as a teacher until 2012.

He was the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014 to 2015. When the University of Illinois hired him in 2016, he returned to college teaching. During his time with Illinois, he made a salary and bonuses totaling $20 million. At the time, he had 17 wins and 39 losses.

11. Gary Kubiak

Net worth: $18 million

Gary Kubiak was John Elway’s backup quarterback when they both played for the Broncos. After he stopped playing sports, he became the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator before becoming the Houston Texans’ head coach.

After working there for a few years and getting a.500 records every year, Kubiak was let go. Then he finished the loop by becoming head coach of the Broncos and winning a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning as his quarterback.

12. Steve Mariucci

Net worth: $18 million

In 1978, Steve Mariucci got his first job as a coach at Northern Michigan. He was in charge of the running backs. He was a quarterbacks coach at Cal State Fullerton from 1980 to 1982. Then, from 1983 to 1984, he worked at Louisville as a coach for wide receivers. In 1985, he was the wide receiver coach for the Orlando Renegades of the USFL. In 1986, Steve became the WR and special teams coach at USC. From 1987 to 1989, he did the same job in California.

In 1990, he was made the offensive coordinator at Cal. From 1992 to 1995, he was the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers, where he worked with Brett Favre. In 1996, for his first job as a head coach, he went back to California. In 1997, Mariucci became the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He led the team to the NFC Championship Game and a 13-3 record.

He was the coach for the San Francisco Giants until the 2002 season. He finished with 57 wins and 39 losses, and in four of the six seasons he was there, the team made the playoffs. Mariucci took over as head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2003. He led for three seasons, going 15-28 overall before he was fired.

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13. Mike Tomlin

Net worth: $16 million

Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He just finished his 16th season as the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has never had a losing season. In 16 years, he has led the Steelers to the playoffs 10 times and to the Super Bowl twice. Tomlin won the Super Bowl in his second season but hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016.

14. Mike Holmgren

Net worth: $16 million

Holmgren was born in 1948 in the city of San Francisco, California. His first job in sports was as a quarterback for USC, where he won a national championship. In the 1970 NFL Draft, he was picked up by the St. Louis Cardinals. He didn’t do very well as a player, so he finally became a coach. His first job was running the offense for a few high school teams.

During the 1970s and 1980s, he also managed several college teams. He started in the NFL as the quarterback coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Later, he became the team’s offensive coordinator. In 1992, he became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. From 1999 to 2008, he was the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. After his time with the Hawks, he took over as team president for the Cleveland Browns. He won three NFC Championships and one Super Bowl as a coach in the NFL.

15. Tom Coughlin

Net worth: $16 million

On and off the field, Tom Coughlin is known for his colorful words. He’s got muscles, and he knows how to use them. He’s also known as a coach who has inspired his players to play some of their best football. Coughlin was a coach in the NFL for 12 years. He is known as one of the best coaches ever, especially when he was with the Giants.

Coughlin’s first job was as the head coach at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He was with this team for three years before becoming the quarterback coach at Syracuse University. Coughlin is now a manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars, a group he led before he joined the Giants.

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16. Kirk Ferentz

Net worth: $16 million

Kirk Ferentz got his start in sports when he was in high school. The defender from Royal Oak, Michigan, played for Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and then went to the University of Connecticut to show off his skills. In the early 1980s, he was a graduate assistant on the teaching staff at the University of Pittsburgh. He then went to the University of Iowa to coach the offensive line.

After three years as head coach at the University of Maine, he went to work for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL as an offensive line coach. He stayed with the team until it changed its name and became the Baltimore Ravens. After leaving the Browns, he went to Iowa and is still the offensive line coach.

17. Jim Caldwell

Net worth: $12 million

Caldwell was born in the Wisconsin city of Beloit. At the University of Iowa, he was a defensive back. In the late 1970s, he was Southern Illinois’ coach for wide receivers. In 1981, he became an offensive assistant coach at Northwestern. He had a few teaching jobs in college football, but his first job as head coach was at Wake Forest from 1993 to 2000.

In 2001, he signed up with the NFL. In the early 2000s, he was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbacks coach and the Indianapolis Colts assistant head coach. In 2009, he became the head coach of the Colts, which was his first job in the NFL. This job ran for two seasons. Then, in 2012, he went to work as the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens for one season. He took over as head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2014 and is still there.

18. Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt

Net worth: $11 million

Whisenhunt used to play professional football for the Washington Redskins from 1989 to 1990. The next year, he joined the New York Jets. In 1995, he started teaching at Vanderbilt University with the special teams, tight ends, and half-backs. This was his first job as a coach ever. His first job as a head coach was with the Arizona Cardinals, which ran from 2007 to 2012.

In 2013, he started working for the San Diego Chargers as their offensive coordinator. The next year, he left for a job with the Tennessee Titans. In 2006, Whisenhunt was in charge of the Steelers when they won the Super Bowl. 2008 he was in charge of the Cardinals, and they won the NFC Championship.

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19. Bruce Arians

Net worth $10 million

Bruce Arians was born in the New Jersey town of Peterson. He started playing football when he was a student in college at Virginia Tech. That was his first job. Then, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he coached Mississippi State and Alabama’s running backs and wide receivers. In the end, Arians was the tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL in 1996. The next year, he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama.

In 1998, he was the quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts. In the early 2000s, he became the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns. Next, he went to work as a teacher for wide receivers and then as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers until 2011. After being an acting coach for a year, he became the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. That year, he was named the AP Head Coach of the Year. He is still the Cardinals’ coach.

20. Mike McCarthy

Net worth: $9 million

Mike McCarthy is an American football coach for a competitive team. He is worth $9 million. Mike McCarthy was born in November 1963 in Pittsburgh, PA. McCarthy went to Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, where he played tight end. From 1987 to 1988, he worked as a graduate assistant at Fort Hays State.

Then, from 1989 to 1991, he was the quarterbacks coach at the University of Pittsburgh. For the 1992 season, he became the coach of the wideouts. McCarthy went to the NFL and worked as an assistant for offensive quality control for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1993 to 1994. From 1995 to 1998, he was a quarterbacks coach.

Then, in 1999, McCarthy was the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers. From 2000 to 2004, he was the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. Before becoming head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 2006, he was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in 2005.

McCarthy was the coach of the Packers in 2010 when they won the Super Bowl. In 2007, Motorola NFL Coach of the Year was given to him. In November 2014, he signed a new deal with the Packers that kept him there through 2018. Mike was fired from the Packers on December 2, 2018.

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Wrapping Up

Coaching in the NFL has proven to be a lucrative profession for many individuals. The top coaches in the league have amassed great wealth over their careers, with some worth more than $10 million. Their salaries are often justified, given their responsibility for their teams’ success and the pressure that comes with it.

With NFL coaching positions being highly sought after, it is evident that coaches who have found success on the field and in their bank accounts are considered among the elite in professional sports. Overall, the NFL continues to be a highly competitive and well-paid industry for its coaches.