The success of the Indiana Hoosiers football program has become a topic of discussion worldwide in the sports world. After spending the past century in mediocrity, the past seasons under head coach Curt Cignetti have completely turned the program around. To such an extent that the success has the media speculating about the possibility of him taking his talents elsewhere.
Why Curt Cignetti’s NFL Buzz Comes With a Nine-Figure Catch?
Cignetti is fresh off signing a deal that made him among the top-5 highest-paid coaches in all of college football. With the combination of his new contract and the Hoosiers’ success on the field, as well as the transfer portal, according to the Indy Star, Cignetti would owe $15 million in liquidated damages if he were to leave for employment elsewhere. Also, that number decreases until the end of his deal, but it does not go below $9 million until 2029.
Often, we’ve seen successful college coaches transition to the National Football League for a new job. With a 25-2 record (and counting) in his two seasons with the Hoosiers, Cignetti has become the hottest coach on the market for NFL teams looking for a new head coach. With seven teams currently seeking a new coach, the possibility of other teams showing interest or contacting Indiana for Cignetti’s services becomes increasingly attractive by the day.
This morning on “The Get Up,” the hosts were debating whether Cignetti could jump ship to the NFL due to his rapid success in Bloomington. Obviously, if an NFL team wants to make Cignetti its new coach, it’ll have to buy out his contract.
Although his success has been in a shorter span, we’ve seen former college coaches with a similar resume get opportunities in the NFL. Bobby Petrino was hired, while Cliff Kingsbury was fired by Texas Tech, and he became the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals the following year. This is not a crazy idea,” said one of the guest-hosts on “The Get Up.”
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This conversation was sparked by comments from Rich Eisen, who weighed in on his pitch to Cignetti if he were the Raiders. “We hold the 1st overall pick in the draft, and you’ve got a quarterback that we’re interested in,” Eisen said.
While this idea doesn’t sound crazy, the Raiders would also have to consider that they currently owe their former staff, including Pete Carroll, before they can even contact the Hoosiers for Cignetti. Whether it’s another college program or an NFL team, they’ll have to pay a substantial amount of money to bring in Cignetti.
