Board of Regents approves contract extension, buyout fees with Gophers' P.J. Fleck

The amended contract will give Fleck bigger annual retention bonuses, though he's still not among the 10 highest-paid head coaches in the Big Ten.

Nov 9, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck on the field before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

P.J. Fleck's contract extension that will keep him signed with the Gophers through 2030 has been approved by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

The Board approved the proposed extension at a 9 a.m. meeting Wednesday. The football team's announcement Wednesday did not include a statement from Fleck, who is entering his ninth season as head coach at Minnesota.

The extension will keep Fleck's base salary at $6 million, but his retention bonus jumps from $700,000 last season to $1 million in 2025, followed by a jump to $1.2 million 2026 and then $100,000 annual increases until the retention bonus peaks at $1.6 million in 2030.

Essentially, Fleck's contract has been extended one year from a previous contract amendment in 2024 that extended his deal through 2029.

Overall, Fleck's contract and bonuses will make him the 11th highest-paid head coach in the 18-team Big Ten.

If fired, Fleck will receive a termination fee equal to 70% of his remaining base salary, supplemental compensation, and retention bonuses. Here's what he'll be owed if he's fired in any of the future years:

• $5.5 million in 2025
• $4.5 million in 2026
• $3 million in 2027
• $2 million in 2028
• $1 million in 2029
• $0 in 2030

On the flip side, if Fleck decides to leave Minnesota for a different coaching job or a broadcasting opportunity, the termination fees would remain the same each year, though Fleck would owe the money to the U of M.

Notably, those aren't expensive buyouts for big-time college football programs who might try to lure Fleck away from the Gophers in the future.

Fleck signed his amended contract on June 26.