Cal’s Ron Rivera Is Deserving of Being One of the Highest Paid GMs

Some may be surprised to learn that Cal’s Ron Rivera is among the highest paid general managers in college football, based on a recent report by USA Today. But when you look at Rivera’s resume and the amount of authority he has at Cal, he should be making more than most general managers.

He might be faced with a decision at the end of this season that could affect the Cal football program for years to come, and Cal is entrusting him with that authority.

The USA Today report indicates that Rivera’s salary at Cal is tied for fifth-highest among general manager at FBS public universities. (Private universities, such as Stanford and USC, are not obligated to make the contracts and salaries of their football employees public.)

As has been reported previously, Rivera earns $800,000 a year as Cal’s football GM, according to USA Today. That is tied with LSU’s Austin Thomas and Nebraska’s Patrick Stewart for the fifth-highest salary among public university football general manager. And the USA Today report indicates that Rivera could make up to $800,000 in bonuses.

In terms of salary, only North Carolina’s Michael Lombardi ($1.51 million), Ohio State’s Mark Pantoni ($900,000), Oregon’s Marshall Malchow ($900,000) and Alabama’s Courtney Morgan ($825,000) have a higher annual salary than Rivera among public-institution football general managers.

But let’s consider Rivera’s level of authority at Cal and his resume.

At many colleges, it is still the athletic director who has the authority to hire and fire the school’s head football coach. At Cal (and Stanford) the general manager has that responsibility.

In fact, when Rivera was initially introduced as Cal’s general manager, it was stated that Rivera would report to the chancellor and football coach Justin Wilcox would continue to report to athletic director Jim Knowlton. That set off vocal opposition by Cal donors until it was established that Wilcox would report to Rivera, who would be in charge of the football program and determine whether the head football coach keeps his job.

At many colleges, the general manager still answers to the head coach. It is the other way around at Cal where Rivera has his hands in every aspect of the football program.

The USA Today report included this comment:

Cal and Stanford -- obsolete as they may be -- are two Power Four examples of programs with GMs at the top of the food chain

The model Cal is using – with the general manager being the ultimate authority over the football program – may be the model that other schools will follow in the future. And Cal has done it with a person who has immediate name recognition with Golden Bears football supporters.

Ex-NFL head coach and former Virginia Tech quarterback Bruce Arians, who is advising Virginia Tech on its coaching search, said last month on the Pat McAfee Show, "I think the first thing for Virginia Tech we're going to hire a general manager and get him in charge of football, then we'll get into the coaching search.”

"First thing for Virginia Tech is we're gonna hire a General Manager and then we'll get into the coaching search..

The university is making a huge financial commitment so that we can compete in the ACC like we should be" ~ @BruceArians #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/MoBO3bg9LY
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 23, 2025

Rivera’s resume probably would match up favorably with any general manager in the country.

The fact that he was an All-America linebacker at Cal, spent nine years as an NFL player and was an NFL head coach for 13 years, twice being named NFL coach of the year, is only part of the story.

When Rivera was head coach of the Washington NFL team, he essentially acted as the team’s general manager without that title, making most of the personnel decisions. When Washington hired Martin Mayhew as general manager in 2021, Mayhew reported to Rivera, while most NFL head coaches report to the general manager.

So Cal virtually has an NFL general manager as its college football general manager. And Rivera replaced both his offensive and defensive coordinators during his time at Washington so he has experience making the tough decisions about coaches' futures.

Plus Rivera is handling much more at Cal.

Rivera is the point man for Cal’s dealings in the transfer portal, an assignment still new to a lot of football officials but seems akin to being a personnel manager in the NFL, which is what Rivera essentially was at Washington.

Rivera is also the key figure in Cal fundraising, which is not foreign to him because he had been involved in Cal fundraising before being hired as GM.

Rivera signed a five-year, $35 million contract when he officially became the Washington head coach in January 2020, giving him an annual average salary of $7 million, according to Spotrac. So his income at Cal is a drop in the bucket compared to what he was making in the NFL. It's also about one-fifth of what Wilcox is earning this season.

From a financial perspective, Cal is getting a bargain with Rivera, assuming he performs as well as his resume suggests.

Cal fans will be looking to Rivera to make the proper decision regarding the future of Cal football.

The Bears are 5-3 heading into Saturday afternoon’s home game against 15th-ranked Virginia (7-1). Rivera said before the season that eight or nine wins would constitute a successful season, and Cal Chancellor Rich Lyons has emphasized the importance of success on the football field.

At season’s end Rivera will make his recommendation to the chancellor about Wilcox’s status as the Bears' head coach. Wilcox’s contract runs through the 2027 season, so there are a number of factors to consider.

Rivera seems well equipped to make that decision.

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