Ranking All 14 NFL Playoffs Head Coaches By How Much They Are Paid

The 2026 NFL Playoffs kick off with a full slate of Wild Card Weekend games. Two teams will have byes this week, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, with the other 12 teams in action.

After a flurry of NFL head coaches losing their jobs this week, now is as good of a time as any to look at the other side of the coin: the highest paid NFL coaches and their salaries.

Ranking All 14 NFL Playoff Coaches By Annual Salaries

There is a huge range in how much the 14 coaches in the 2026 NFL Playoffs are getting paid. At the top is Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton who is earning anywhere from 9x to 3.5x more than the lowest paid head coach in the Playoffs.

Here we rank all 14 NFL Playoffs head coaches, from least to highest paid. Starting with the Carolina Panthers.

14. Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers – est $2-5 million

Coming in at 14th is Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales. He signed a six-year contract with the Panthers in 2024 and while details of his contract have never been made public, it is believed he earns somewhere between $2 to $5 million annually.

At the bottom end of that estimation, this would make him the lowest paid coach in the NFL. Surely that could change if the Panthers manage to make it out of Wild Card Weekend and run deep in the Playoffs.

13. DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans – $8 million

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans signed a six-year contract with the team back in 2023. FOS reports Ryans’ annual salary at $8 million while others have reported it as low as $4.6 million which seems to be just a wild guess from some outlets.

12. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers – est $8-9 Million

At #12 is Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur who is reported to earn between $8M and $9 million annually following a 2022 contract extension. He was previously believed to be earning around $5.5 million back in 2019 prior to the extension.

11. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills – $8 million

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott could break through this year. He is a perennial Playoffs head coach and is said to earn $8 million annually with some estimates putting him up to $11 million.

McDermott signed a contract extension with the Bills back in June 2023 that keeps him under contract with the team through the 2027 season. Presumably, if Sean McDermott and the Bills win it all before then he will become one of the highest paid coaches in the league.

10. Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks – $9 million

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald earns an estimated $9 million annually. Macdonald signed a 6-year contract with the Seahawks back in February 2024.

Despite considerable success with the Seahawks, he still earns a lot less than some league veterans and that is sure to change as he delivers the Seahawks results.

9. Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars – $12 million

The Jacksonville Jaguars wrestled Liam Coen away from the Buccaneers in January 2025, making him a head coach and seeing his salary jump from $4.5M(ish) as a coordinator to an estimated $12 million as head coach of the Jaguars.

Coen is reportedly under a 5-year deal with the Jaguars who won the AFC South this season and face the Bills on Wild Card Weekend.

8. Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears – $13 million

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is reported to earn ~$13 million annually. He signed a 5-year, $65 million contract in February 2025 making him one of the highest-paid first-time head coaches in NFL history.

The Bears appear to have gotten exactly what they wanted out of Coen. Chicago went 11-6 this season and host Green Bay on Wild Card Weekend.

7. Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots – $14 million

The New England Patriots appear to have found their man in Mike Vrabel. He is among the highest-paid NFL coaches with an annual salary estimated to be between $14 to $17 million, a figure the Pats are said to have bumped up to lure Vrabel away from Tennessee.

As a linebacker with the Patriots, Vrabel earned $17 million total over 8 seasons in New England. As a coach, it’s possible he earns that in just one season.

6. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers – $14 million

San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Shanahan comes in at #6 with an estimated annual salary of $14 million, tied with Mike Vrable as the 8th highest paid coaches in the league.

Shanahan has signed contract extensions with the 49ers in 2020 and again in 2023. His current extension is believed to take him through the 2027 season with the team.

5. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles – $15 million

Reigning Super Bowl champion head coach Nick Sirianni reportedly gets paid $15 million annually by the Philadelphia Eagles. After winning the Super Bowl last season, Sirianni signed a multi-year contract extension.

Prior to that, he was earning around $7 million/year but winning the Super Bowl earned him a much deserved raised.

4. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams – $15 million

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay earns $15 million annually and this is reportedly the last year of his contract. The Rams were hot all season due in large part to Matthew Stafford’s stellar play.

McVay previously signed an extension after the Rams won Super Bowl LVI. Around that time, McVay was receiving lucrative offers from TV networks to lure him away as an analyst but he stuck with the Rams and is now back in the Playoffs.

3. Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers – $16 million

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is tied as the 3rd highest paid coach in the NFL. He was tied at 4th until his brother, John, was fired by the Ravens this week.

Jim Harbaugh is believed to have signed a 5-year, $80 million contract with the Chargers.

2. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers – $16 million

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, the longest tenured coach in the NFL, earns $16 million a season. Tomlin has been head coach of the Patriots since 2007, a full 18 years ago. He won Super Bowl XLIII as head coach and holds the NFL record for the most consecutive .500 or better seasons to start a career at 19.

1. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos – $18 million

The second-highest paid coach in the NFL and the highest-paid coach in the 2026 NFL Playoffs is former New Orleans Saints head coach and current Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton. He earns a reported $18 million annually from the Denver Broncos.

In 2023, Payton signed a 5-year contract that keeps him with the Broncos through the 2027 season.