Lincoln Riley’s extension with Oklahoma keeps NFL teams at bay, for now
By John Buhler
Oklahoma extends second-year head coach Lincoln Riley after making the College Football Playoff in as many seasons. Does this deal keep the NFL away?
Surely, Boomer Sooner Nation is still reeling after seeing its football team lose yet another College Football Playoff game. However, Oklahoma fans sure do have a nice consolation prize to start the new calendar year. Apparently, head coach Lincoln Riley isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
According to Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press, “Oklahoma announces it has reached agreement on a contract extension with head coach Lincoln Riley. Terms being finalized and subject to board approval.”
Though Riley was getting some buzz as a potential NFL head coach, it does seem that he’ll have to put that dream on the back-burner at least temporarily. Oklahoma is one of the better jobs in the Power 5 and the best program in the Big 12. Why would Riley want to leave Norman, Oklahoma willingly?
Well, his first star signal-caller at Oklahoma is now starring in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns have a head coaching vacancy after parting ways with Hue Jackson mid-season. Baker Mayfield won the 2017 Heisman Trophy playing for Riley and could win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after taking a winless 2017 Browns team to within a game of .500 his first year in the league.
Riley might have also been a candidate for a potential head coaching vacancy with the Dallas Cowboys had things gone sideways with Jason Garrett later in the year. Instead, Dallas won the NFC East for the second time in three years thanks to a great defense that Garrett cheered for on the sidelines. Norman is closer to Dallas than any other NFL city. Just saying.
Overall, this was a wise move to pay Riley certainly top-dollar to keep him at Oklahoma. While he probably was never going to leave Norman for another college football job, the NFL has undoubtedly grown fond of him in recent years. He might be totally cool with being a college coach in perpetuity, but the right NFL job could make even the best college coach change his mind.
Frankly, it does not matter even the slightest what absurd amount the University of Oklahoma might have to pay Riley to keep him on the Sooners sidelines. A blue-blood program like Oklahoma doesn’t let the brightest young coaching star skip town for more money. If they don’t pay him, someone else will.
He’ll have better job security leading the Sooners than he would ever have presumably with any NFL team. However, elite coaching talent comes at a price and Oklahoma knows this. It should come as no shock that Oklahoma has to extend Riley now.
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He’s batting 1.000 in terms of starting quarterbacks winning Heisman Trophies in a season with Mayfield winning it in 2017 and Kyler Murray only a few weeks ago. Who does that? The NFL may still be in Riley’s football future, but for now, he can comfortably extend his roots in Norman and continue to build his coaching legacy at Oklahoma going forward.