Lincoln Riley agrees to extension at Oklahoma, taking himself out of NFL consideration for now
Despite Baker Mayfield’s wishes, Lincoln Riley won’t be the next coach of the Cleveland Browns. Instead, the 35-year-old Riley has opted to remain at Oklahoma. Riley is expected to sign a contract extension with the Sooners.
The extension has been agreed to in principle, and is in its final stages. Once finalized, Riley’s new deal needs to be approved by Oklahoma’s Board of Regents. Terms of the extension, including its length and Riley’s new salary, were not released.
In a statement, Oklahoma president James Gallogly stressed the importance of keeping Riley around for years to come:
“We felt it important to extend and amend Lincoln’s contract at this time as we want him at the University of Oklahoma for a long time,” said Gallogly. “He is a great coach and role model for our student-athletes. His record of success speaks for itself.”
The Sooners had good reason for being aggressive with Riley. In two seasons at Oklahoma, Riley has led the program to a 24-4 record. The team has won the Big 12 Championship both years, and has appeared in the College Football Playoff. The Sooners lost to Alabama 45-34 in the semifinal in 2018.
That success has led to Riley becoming a popular candidate to make the leap to the NFL. Mayfield has been one of Riley’s biggest supporters, saying Riley is ready to coach in the pros.
While the contract extension should quiet some of the NFL talk for now, Riley could continue to raise his profile if he continues to produce excellent results at Oklahoma.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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