Steve Sarkisian declines to interview with NFL teams, accepts extension with Texas

University of Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was expected to receive NFL interest, and apparently he did.

Bret McMurphy of The Action Network reports that Sarkisian turned down a chance to interview with two NFL teams. Instead, Sarkisian will remain in Texas with a contract extension.

It’s the second two-year contract extension for Sarkisian, who saw his base salary jump from $5.8 million to $10.3 million in February 2024. Sarkisian’s buyout was $6 million, but it’s not yet known if that will increase in the extension.

Sarkisian, 50, is 38-17 in four seasons since replacing Tom Herman in Austin. The Longhorns played in back-to-back College Football Playoffs the past two seasons.

Sarkisian has NFL experience, coaching the Raiders’ quarterbacks in 2004 and serving as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2017-18. That, along with his success at Texas, made him a viable candidate for NFL head coaching jobs.