Contract Explained
- Thread starter PSU4U
- Start date
So end of 2028 if no championship game is reached, the buyout is at $32M and Kraft will have to decide on how things are going. Until then, sit back and be in misery or semi-enjoy or whatever. Who knows, maybe Grunk leads PSU to a championship in '26, '27 or '28.
Believe it's $32 million after the 2027 season...$24 million after 2028.
Grunk is faster and more accurate with way more than acceptable arm strength. I'm hopeful.
I don't know what this program will be like even next year because it could be that the money for Franklin to play with will dry up. People aren't going to put up millions for the return they got so far this year. IMO which is worth wampum, 2026 must be the year.
Now - $56M
Jan. 1, 2026 - $48M
Jan. 1, 2027 - 40M
Jan 1, 2028 - 32M
I guess what I was thinking was that yes Kraft could try that in January 2028 but its more likely a season start like this year (bad losses) would lead to a 2028 in-season buyout. Just in terms of possibly having both a reason and a somewhat manageable number. But yeah, 2027 could suck. If so, then Jan. 1, 2028 is in play.
You can always negotiate these things. There is a number out there that Franklin would take and PSU would pay.
I was around for the "Joe must go" days. Ironically, one of the arguments for keeping him was his low salary. The difference now is social media; Paterno didn't have to deal with it and could just go back and forth between his house and Beaver Stadium. Franklin does have to deal with it and he will have to confront it 24/7 from his players, recruits, and even his own family. There's a number both sides would accept if they want to get this done, they don't have to wait x number of years to do it.
I was around for the "Joe must go" days. Ironically, one of the arguments for keeping him was his low salary. The difference now is social media; Paterno didn't have to deal with it and could just go back and forth between his house and Beaver Stadium. Franklin does have to deal with it and he will have to confront it 24/7 from his players, recruits, and even his own family. There's a number both sides would accept if they want to get this done, they don't have to wait x number of years to do it.
”What could happen, however, is that a booster or group of boosters offers to pay for the buyout. This happened recently with former Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman. The Razorback Foundation, which is a group of boosters with a goal of supporting Arkansas’ athletic endeavors financially, paid for the $9.3 million buyout.
While $9.3 million is nowhere close to $56 million, athletic departments and boosters have come together to split the cost of buyouts before as well. In 2023, the Texas A&M athletic department and the 12th Man Foundation both helped pay for Jimbo Fisher’s $76 million buyout. Although this was before schools had to worry about spending over $20 million a year on paying athletes.”
So, you’re telling me there’s a chance.
The length and size of professional contracts are obscene. Regular folk, like you and me, can be canned "for cause". Athletes and coaches who sign FU contracts can just say "FU"! Baseball is the most egregious. Power 4 college football coaching contracts are a close second.
Don’t let him out of it.
Make him stay and suffer with the rest of us.
Make him stay and suffer with the rest of us.
Yeah I think it would have to be a figure both sides agree on, as well as JF would have to have something lined up job wise whether that be as HC or tv commentator, ambassador for PSU etc that he liked and felt comfortable with....
That explanation is pretty much a crock, but no matter.
Your numbers are correct. Franklin does earn a retention bonus if he is employed by PSU on 12/31 of any given year, so add $500k to each number, but who is quibbling.
One thing I expect to happen if this thing continues to implode is I fully expect the NIL and other donated monies to dry up for James. If that does happen then the university's hand may be forced. On the other hand, if he gets this Tugboat turned around then who knows.”What could happen, however, is that a booster or group of boosters offers to pay for the buyout. This happened recently with former Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman. The Razorback Foundation, which is a group of boosters with a goal of supporting Arkansas’ athletic endeavors financially, paid for the $9.3 million buyout.
While $9.3 million is nowhere close to $56 million, athletic departments and boosters have come together to split the cost of buyouts before as well. In 2023, the Texas A&M athletic department and the 12th Man Foundation both helped pay for Jimbo Fisher’s $76 million buyout. Although this was before schools had to worry about spending over $20 million a year on paying athletes.”
So, you’re telling me there’s a chance.
We should know where this is all headed by halftime of Homecoming tomorrow. I hope we see some determination some tenacity and some bounce in the players win or lose. The same for the use of personnel and schemes this isn't all on the players.
Not happening it's Allar or bust with Franklin but I would like to see Grunk get some meaningful snaps but doubt that happens either.Now. Not when he is the starter.
Not necessarily. He can be forced out if he is told he doesn't have the support. Yes, his choice, but he may not want to coach at a place where he knows he is not wanted. The contract does not state that while he is employed he needs to have the support of the university. If he sees NIL declining that is another thing that can make his life uncomfortable. Big donors can make a statement without firing him.
Now is the time for West Shore Home to step up…lol
The problem is the headwinds he’s facing with the alum and fanbase are unprecedented at Penn State.
He’d need to win a Natty to shift that tide. That’s not happening under Franklin.
So this will continue to fester and be a long term issue until a new coaching staff is put in place.
If the product on the field continues to be sh|t, home crowds will dwindle and Kraft will hear it more and more from the media and influential alumni. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to ignore, even with the TV cash money piling in.
Additionally, there are a lot of reasons to question a $700 MM stadium renovation, but how do you justify it for a program on the decline (and that appears incapable of reaching the ultimate goal at its best)?
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Media, influential alums, and the SC Chamber of Commerce….
I hope the term is not too long. I have said that I think his time here has run its natural course. Yet I wish he would prove me wrong. I do appreciate what he has done for the program since his arrival.
Kraft's mail has been off the charts, and his phone has been ringing off the hook, so I think AD Kraft is already feeling the heat. Would like to know who all has been traveling in and out of his office and what what meeting he has had away from the university.
I keep hearing that famous coach at UNC is toast. They almost pulled it off but now seem to be waiting until after the season. It has been a negative circus since his arrival. If and when he does go, I think it would be an excellent spot for Franklin, good for him good for them and good for us.
Let's say Franklin and Kraft meet, and Franklin is encouraged to seek other opportunities and negotiate a reduced buyout of his contract. Franklin doesn't budge. Kraft fires Kotelnicki and Knowles, and gives James $500k to go find coordinators. NIL groups stop the money flow for the retention of players. It would get ugly quick. On top of that, Franklin would be known as the coach who repeatedly used whatever leverage he had to enrich himself at the expense of the university, who showed him tremendous loyalty over 11 years. If he wants to spend 5 years as a Fox analyst counting money, then so be it.
Alternatively, if Franklin voluntarily goes to FSU, UNC, Ok St, etc and there is some reasonable payout given by PSU ($10-25M) to make it happen, it saves face for all parties involved. Gets PSU out of a horrible contract, gives Franklin another shot. Winning the ACC/Big 12 is a hell of a lot easier than going through the Big Ten or SEC.
Alternatively, if Franklin voluntarily goes to FSU, UNC, Ok St, etc and there is some reasonable payout given by PSU ($10-25M) to make it happen, it saves face for all parties involved. Gets PSU out of a horrible contract, gives Franklin another shot. Winning the ACC/Big 12 is a hell of a lot easier than going through the Big Ten or SEC.
Why would FSU want Franklin? VT, UNC, UCLA seem like better fits given the circumstances. That’s provided Franklin wants to leave. If he doesn’t, he’ll be here for a bit. UNC or VT makes a lot of sense to me. They are programs in disarray that need to be rebuilt. That’s what he does. He’s good at it.
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I dont know a $56m buyout is ridiculously steep for a program like PSU. Alabama might pay it off. I'm not sure PSU will be able to stomach that hit.
we have way more money than bama as a university.
Does he get a detention bonus if he stays?
So PSU will use tuition and state appropriation dollars for Franklin's buyout? No doubt that will be universally well-received.
It’s an athletic expense. They operate under different budgets and it’s not a lump sum. $$$ will flow in with right hire, Adidas, VCs, and a somehow appropriate recognition of the Paternos so as to unite the Nation’s battling factions. Uncancel JoePa, Krafty!
If that proves to be true... that signals a real problem.
If the guy behind the starter takes over and is instantly more successful, then what the hell was he doing sitting on the bench in the first place? This idea that it's any particular player's "turn" is absurd.
Franklin wanted Allar back and when he came back he was going to live or die with him. He died with him. Franklin was the problem and I was probably his biggest fan supporter.