Steve Sarkisian's agents say report of NFL coaching interest is 'wildly inaccurate'
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Not long after a report surfaced Saturday that Texas Longhorns head football coach Steve Sarkisian would consider leaving the team for the NFL, his agents fired back and refuted it.
Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz of CAA Sports said in a statement that Sarkisian “is solely focused on coaching the University of Texas football team.”
“Any reports regarding communications on coaching opportunities with NFL teams are patently false and wildly inaccurate,” the statement said.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that representatives for Sarkisian “have let NFL decision makers know that he would be interested in potential head coaching opportunities, including the Titans.”
The Titans fired Brian Callahan after a 1-5 start to the 2025 NFL season in mid-October.
The last time Sarkisian and the NFL were linked, he turned it into a payday, signing a 7-year contract extension with the school through 2031. The deal included a $400,000 raise this year, bringing his annual salary to $10.8 million. He’ll get a $250,000 raise every year, and in the final year of his contract, he’ll make $12.3 million in guaranteed base salary, plus other performance incentives if he hits them.
With Curt Cignetti at Indiana signing a new deal to stay with the Hoosiers and pay him $11.15 million in the first full year, Sarkisian is the sixth-highest-paid coach in the country in terms of current annual salary. Georgia’s Kirby Smart leads the way at nearly $13.3 million, according to data from USA Today.
The deal was made after Sarkisian reportedly declined two interviews with NFL teams about open jobs.
Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC) faces Mississippi State at 3:15 p.m. CT, Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.
