New UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster’s first contract is a bargain
UCLA’s new football coach came at a steep discount.
DeShaun Foster’s five-year contract that will pay him $3 million in the first year is roughly half the annual value of predecessor Chip Kelly’s contract, according to a memorandum of agreement reviewed by The Times on Thursday.
Foster will receive $100,000 raises each year, to $3.1 million in Year 2, $3.2 million in Year 3, $3.3 million in Year 4 and $3.4 million in Year 5. He already received a hiring bonus of $250,000 and will get one $500,000 retention bonus if he remains employed by the school as of March 15, 2026, and another $500,000 retention bonus if he remains employed as of March 15, 2028.
Foster’s buyout comes with a declining percentage of his remaining salary over the remaining years on his contract. For instance, if UCLA was to buy him out after the end of his second season on Dec. 2, 2025, it would owe 60% of his remaining salary in Year 3 and 50% of his remaining salary in Years 4 and 5 — a total of roughly $5.27 million. That buyout figure would drop to $3.35 million if the Bruins were to buy out Foster on Dec. 2, 2026, after the end of his third season.
If Foster were to leave UCLA on or before Dec. 31, 2024, he would have to pay the school $10 million. That figure drops to $7 million if Foster departed on or before Dec. 31, 2025; $5 million if he left on or before Dec. 31, 2026; $2.5 million if he left on or before Dec. 31, 2027; and $1 million if he left on or before Dec. 31, 2028.
Foster’s bonuses call for him to make $50,000 if the Bruins win six games; an additional $50,000 if they win seven games; an additional $100,000 if they win eight games; an additional $100,000 if they win nine games; and an additional $100,000 if they win 10 games. Foster would make $100,000 if UCLA qualified for the Big Ten championship game and another $100,000 if the Bruins won it.
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Any bowl game appearance would earn Foster a $100,000 bonus that would increase by $50,000 if the Bruins won the game. Making the College Football Playoff would net Foster a $200,000 bonus, with an additional $150,000 for each victory in the CFP. If the Bruins were CFP national champions, Foster would pocket $200,000 more.
A final Associated Press ranking in the top 10 would give Foster a $50,000 bonus, with the coach earning an additional $100,000 for a top-five finish. Foster would earn $50,000 for being named the Big Ten coach of the year and $100,000 for being selected national coach of the year by the AP or American Football Coaches Assn.
New offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy also came at a bargain. His two-year contract calls for him to make $550,000 per year. Bieniemy will receive a $180,000 hiring bonus if he remains on the job through Dec. 7, 2025. The coach will get a $275,000 retention bonus if he’s still at UCLA through Jan. 31, 2025, and another $275,000 if he’s still on the job through July 31, 2025.
Chip Kelly’s explanation for leaving UCLA for a demotion at Ohio State suggests he thought little about the impact of his decision.
Ikaika Malloe, who was promoted to defensive coordinator after D’Anton Lynn’s departure for USC in December, received a two-year contract that will pay him $1 million per year — identical to Lynn’s previous salary.
New defensive line coach Tony Washington Jr.’s two-year contract calls for him to make $320,000 in the first year — including a $20,000 hiring bonus — and $320,000 in the second year.
New quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler’s two-year contract is also for $320,000 per year. Should Foster not retain Washington or Fessler as part of his staff overhaul, any jettisoned coach would receive his full remaining salary per the terms of his contract.
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