The Spartans released the terms for their five-year contract with new Michigan State football coach Pat Fitzgerald on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Fitzgerald is set to make $20 million in base pay and another $10 million in supplemental income over the five years of the deal, for a total of $30 million, though with incentives baked in for wins, Fitzgerald could make as much as $54 million over eight years in East Lansing.
Michigan State football's new coach Pat Fitzgerald, center, holds up a jersey with MSU president Kevin Guskiewicz, left, and athletic director J Batt, right, during Fitzgerald's introductory press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at the Tom Izzo Football Building in East Lansing.MEET THE NEW GUY: Pat Fitzgerald on Michigan State football: 'We've gotta get stronger'
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe contract released on Tuesday starts at $4 million in base pay each season and $1 million in supplemental income for the 2026 season. That supplemental pay increases annually by $500,000 to $3 million in 2030, giving him a total paycheck of $7 million in the final season of the contract.
It is laced with incentives, including adding a year and a $500,000 salary increase for each season he reaches seven wins over the first three seasons of the deal. With seven-win seasons in each of the first three years of the deal, Fitzgerald would be owed $54 million over eight seasons. Michigan State has not had a seven-win season since 2021, under former coach Mel Tucker.
Should Fitzgerald take another job, he would owe MSU $6.5 million before Dec. 31, 2026; $5 million in 2027; $4 million in 2028; $3 million in 2029; and $1 million in 2030. If the school fires Fitzgerald during his tenure, MSU would owe him 72.5% of his remaining deal.
The full contract will be finalized by the Dec. 12 meeting of the MSU Board of Trustees. It is the first major coaching hire for athletic director J Batt, who himself was hired away from Georgia Tech in June.
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Because Fitzgerald has been out of coaching, MSU does not need to pay a buyout for him; the school owes fired coach Jonathan Smith about $33.5 million on the remaining $39 million-plus on the seven-year, $53 million deal he signed to replace Tucker in November 2023. Tucker also is suing MSU for wrongful termination and the nearly $75 million he was owed when he was fired, a case that remains in civil court and unresolved.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State football coach salary: How much?
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