Golden Reaffirms Commitment to Florida Gators, Addresses NBA Buyouts

Some fans may worry about seeing Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden’s buyout clauses for NBA teams in his most recent contract extension. However, he reaffirmed his future with the program on Thursday. 

“In terms of the college game, like, I’m here at Florida for a long time,” Golden told the media. “It’s everything I need, everything my family needs…I’m a Gator for a long time.”

Golden signed his contract extension with the Gators May 6, his second in as many years. His most recent extension makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NCAA. It runs through March 31, 2031, totaling $40.5 million.

For as much as Golden said about staying in Gainesville, Fla., he left the door open for NBA teams to come calling in the future. 

“And, you know, I don’t necessarily anticipate the NBA being something that’s super enticing anytime soon. But again, just the optionality is something that’s important to us,” Golden said. 

As for the NBA buyout clause included, Florida is due $3 million before April 15, 2026, from Golden if he leaves for the pros, $2 million if he leaves between that date and March 31, 2028, $1 million through March 31, 2029, and zero between that date and through the remainder of his deal, according to Swamp247’s Zach Goodall. 

It’s not hard to understand why NBA organizations would want to inquire about his services. 

In his time with the Gators, it’s been nothing but progression. While his first year was a little turbulent, his next two were gigantic steps in the right direction. In the 2023-24 season, the Gators reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

He followed it up by becoming the youngest coach (39 years old) to win it all in the last 40 years, the title for the Gators since 2007. The Gators also won the SEC Tournament last year for the first time since 2014 en route to the National Championship. 

One thing that’s certain about Golden’s future it’s only with Florida or at the professional level. Golden’s contract has a buyout of $16 million if he were to depart for another school before April 15, 2026, $11 million between then and March 21, 2027, $4 million through March 31, 2028 and finally $1 million annually after that, according to Swamp247’s Zach Goodall. 

So, while there might be some worry for the fans about how long he sticks around, it doesn’t seem likely that Golden will be coaching elsewhere anytime soon.

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