Dan Mullen contract details: What is Dan Mullen’s buyout?

Here are the Dan Mullen contract details after he was bought out and fired by the Florida Gators on Sunday.

The end has arrived for Dan Mullen in Gainesville.

Mullen was fired on Sunday afternoon by the Gators following Florida’s sixth loss of the season, this time an overtime embarrassment against the Missouri Tigers.

In that loss, the Gators only scored 16-points in regulation and failed to stop a Missouri two-point conversion on the Tigers first possession of overtime. It was the Gators sixth loss of the season and one too many for the Athletic Department to stomach.

A loss to Missouri is not what got Mullen fired. Instead, it’s the fact that the loss comes amid an absolute tailspin the Gators have been in since a quality loss to Alabama just a few months ago. Since that 41-39 loss, the Gators have been beaten by a below-average LSU team, upset by Kentucky, got their doors blown off by Georgia, and lost to South Carolina by 23-points to South Carolina.

Now Mullen is out, and the Gators are going to try and pick up the pieces as the program attempts to find itself on the other side of this embarrassing season.

Dan Mullen contract details: Dan Mullen buyout

The Gators will be paying $12 million to get rid of Mullen. That, somehow, is the least frustrating aspect of this entire situation.

College football coaches get long-term extensions handed to them like candy to children at Halloween. That Mullen got an extension back in June isn’t terribly surprising but the optics of it look pretty rough in the wake of his dismissal.

Just five months ago, Florida gave Mullen a raise to $7.6 million and were going to keep him in Gainesville through the 2026 season.

Now the program is paying just under double his annual salary to get rid of him.

Florida coaching candidates to replace Dan Mullen

Now the search for Mullen’s replacement begins.

A titillating talking point will be Urban Meyer moving from Duval to take up his old post at Florida. That’s a highly unlikely scenario, but it’s one that will no doubt be talked about — and rightfully so because it’s just too good to pass up.

The more realistic options will make Gators fans feel a little better.

James Franklin coming over from Penn State could be an interesting option. There’s also the idea of Lane Kiffin coming over from Ole Miss that’s worth discussing, as well as Mark Stoops trading in his post at one SEC program (Kentucky) for a higher profile gig.

Don’t sleep on the idea of the Gators poaching Todd Monken from Georgia. The offensive coordinator is in the middle of perhaps his best season of coaching, and has experience both as a college head coach and an NFL coordinator from his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.