Agent: Grantham deal sweetened

ByJeremy Fowler ESPN logo
Saturday, January 31, 2015

Louisville is rewarding defensive coordinator Todd Grantham for declining the Oakland Raiders' job offer.

The Cardinals are reworking Grantham's four-year deal to pay him as much as $1.4 million annually, Grantham's agent, Michael Harrison, told ESPN.com. Grantham's new contract will make him one of the highest paid coordinators in college football.

The Raiders offered Grantham a two-year deal to be defensive coordinator but he opted to stay with Louisville.

Grantham made close to $1 million in his first year with Louisville, which ranked 24th in scoring defense and 10th in rushing defense in 2014. He was previously the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns (2005-07) and the Georgia Bulldogs (2010-13).

Auburn's Will Muschamp is the highest-paid coordinator in the country. The Tigers are paying him between $1.6 million and $1.8 million to run their defense, according to ESPN.com's Chris Low and Mark Schlabach. New Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis could surpass the $1.5 million mark after leaving a high-paying job with LSU. Grantham could rank above LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who reportedly earned somewhere in the range of $1.3 million in 2014.

Grantham likely will make more per year than most head coaches from non-power conferences such as the American, Mountain West, MAC, C-USA and Sun Belt.

Harrison, who spearheads the coaching and front office executive representation firm Harrison & Associates, said Grantham was intrigued by the Raiders but has been encouraged by Louisville's commitment to winning.