I saw it last season UCLA coach Mick Cronin in the most capricious state (and I would say the funniest). He had several post-game rants that went viral amid a fairly normal 23-game winning streak that ended in the second round of the NCAAs when Cronin ended the season with a lead nonsense about NCAA flight arrangements.. As Cronin continued to speak his mind over the past two years, there were persistent rumors in student circles that he might have his eye on another job. Well, if he did, that's now almost certainly ruled out.
In mid-May, Cronin signed a two-year contract extension with UCLA that included increased salary, buyout, and severance packages.
CBS Sports recently received a new contract that was not announced until this week. when the LA Times first published the news. Unlike 2022, when Cronin renegotiated terms, UCLA has not announced an updated agreement.. That's unusual for a public university with a high-profile program, although UNC was slow to announce Hubert Davis' contract extension last season after he was signed in December 2024.
Cronin, 54, is currently paid $4.5 million per year — but that doesn't include a host of bonuses that would easily push his earnings well above $5 million per year thanks to easily achievable incentives in his contract. For example, if Cronin was still the coach at UCLA as of April 15, 2026, he would be paid an additional $500,000… just for keeping that job. That benefit will increase to another $600,000 on April 15, 2027, and then to $700,000 in the next two years while he is still ready to coach in the Westwood sun.
Cronin was guaranteed $10 million from his previous contract if he was fired, but with the new deal he more than doubled his payout in the renegotiated documents. If both sides go their separate ways in the next five years, here is the revised monetary structure.
If fired for no reason, UCLA will have to pay Cronin…
- Until April 1, 2026: US$22.5 million.
- Until April 1, 2027: $18 million.
- Until April 1, 2028: US$13.5 million.
- Until April 1, 2029: $9 million.
- Until April 1, 2030: $4.5 million.
If Cronin takes another job, here's his update. ransom conditions…
- Until April 1, 2026: $15 million.
- Until April 1, 2027: $12 million.
- Until April 1, 2028: $8 million.
- Until April 1, 2029: $6 million.
- Until April 1, 2030: $4 million.
These conditions will almost certainly shut both sides down for the rest of the decade. In this eighth season, Cronin is 145-67 for UCLA. He has taken the school to the NCAAs four times, including the 2021 Final Four in the COVID Bubble Tournament. The Bruins, 7-3, are unranked and playing Arizona on Wednesday evening.
This story was included in Matt Norlander's Court Report, an insider's notebook of scoops, statistics and behind-the-scenes stories of college basketball. You can read much more this week, including Nebraska's hot start, right here..
