After announcing a contract extension and raise for coach Butch Jones on Monday, Tennessee released the details of the changes made to the original deal on Wednesday afternoon.
There’s nothing earth-shattering in the short, two-page addendum, but here are a few things to know about the updated contract:
1. It comes out to $3.6 million on the dot per year: Dave Hart wasn’t estimating when he cited that figure. Jones still gets a base of $245,000 per year, but what is termed “supplemental pay” in the contract rises from $2,705,000 to $3,355,000 per year. Add that to the base and it comes out to $3.6 million per year on the dot before incentives
2. Bowl incentives changed: Speaking of incentives, the addendum spells out some bowl incentives that reflect the updated system of bowl selection for the SEC. Previously, the bowl bonus was based on which bowl picked the Vols in terms of their order in the SEC selection process. Here’s Jones’ updated bowl bonus structure:
Winning a national championship: $500k
Appearing in the finals of the CFB Playoffs: $400k
Appearing in the CFB Playoffs: $350k
Appearing in a “New Year’s Six” Game: $300k
Appearing in the Citrus or Outback Bowl: $200k
Appearing in any other bowl: $100k
Interesting that the contract chooses the Outback Bowl as the only one of the “group of six” bowls (Outback, TaxSlayer, Belk, Texas, Music City and Liberty) that leads to more compensation. The SEC has stated that all six of those bowls are on equal footing in the new setting, but clearly the administration values that one more than the others.
3. More security for both sides: While Butch Jones gets more security, so does Tennessee. Jones’ buyout, which had dropped to $3 million, now goes back up to $4 million. That drops back to $3 million on March 1, 2016, and then drops to $2 million on March 1, 2017, where it stays until Feb. 29, 2020. The contract lapses after the 2020 season, officially on Feb. 28, 2021.
