While Penn State must pay $56M to James Franklin, how much would UNC owe Bill Belichick in case of firing?

Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels are in the eye of the storm. After consecutive weeks of endless drama, the two sides are rumored to be drifting apart in the NCAA. Perhaps James Franklin’s firing by the Penn State Nittany Lions has lit a bulb over the program in Chapel Hill.

Penn State spiraled out of control with three straight losses to kickstart the Big Ten schedule in the 2025 college football season. Enough was enough for the Nittany Lions. Following the 22-21 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats, the school in Happy Valley parted ways with its head coach.

Now, as reported by Bleacher Report and Spotrac, Penn State must foot the bill for a $56 million contract buyout after terminating the 10-year deal handed to Franklin in 2021. According to Spotrac, Franklin’s buyout clause is the second-largest in college football history, trailing only Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M $76M buyout.

As noted by USA Today, the Nittany Lions would have paid a cheaper buyout had they fired Franklin after December 1, which would’ve reduced the total to $48 million. It seems Penn State was determined to make a statement—even if it meant more money leaving its wallet.

How much would UNC have to pay Belichick?

Following a 2-3 start to the 2025 NCAA season, the Tar Heels are seemingly having second thoughts. It’s not so much about the record as it is about the fashion of the losses and the overflowing media presence and drama on campus.

From Jordon Hudson’s appearance on the field before kickoff to the tug-of-war between Belichick and his former NFL team, the New England Patriots, it seems everything has been blown out of proportion in Chapel Hill. On that note, reports hint North Carolina is at least considering the possibility of moving on from Belichick. Needless to say, it would be anything but an easy—or money-saving—decision.

“Were North Carolina to fire Belichick at any point before Dec. 2027 it would owe him everything he was set to be paid up to that date. As things stand, that figure is north of $20 million,” as reported by CBS Sports. “Anything above $17 million would make Belichick’s buyout one of the five highest in college football history.“

Head-turning clauses

North Carolina signed Belichick to a five-year, $50 million deal, which includes $30 million guaranteed over the first three seasons. Therefore, if the Tar Heels scrape the deal before Belichick completes his third NCAA season, the school must pay him as if he had coached them, regardless.

On the other hand, if Belichick decides to leave, then he must pay the school in Chapel Hill $1 million. Prior to June 1st, Belichick would have had to foot a $10 million bill to walk out on the Tar Heels. He took quite a discount, which only fueled rumors of him leaving for an NFL team in the summer.

Where to now?

As things stand, just five games into his first coaching experience in college football, it seems North Carolina’s safest option is to stay the course. Perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel. Even if things turn south, the Tar Heels will be $30 million down by the time the 2027 season wraps up.

Instead, it might be wiser to give the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach more time to right his wrongs and build his program exactly as he envisions it—not with the leftover pieces from Mack Brown’s team.