CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney described the longtime NFL special teams coordinator he just hired at Clemson as a “leader of men” who will have an impact beyond his player segment.
But that kind of coach comes at a cost.
Rich Bisaccia, who was approved during a March 4 meeting of the Clemson board of trustees compensation committee, agreed to a one-year, $900,000 contract for the 2026 season — plus a $100,000 retention bonus if he’s still on staff this coming July.
For comparison, the University of South Carolina just hired a new special teams coordinator, Matthew Smiley, who had the same role with the Buffalo Bills from 2022-24, to a three-year deal that pays $700,000 per season.
On top of Clemson’s $1 million in salary and retention bonus for the special teams coordinator, Bisaccia has a litany of performance bonuses written into his contract. That includes $36,000 if the Tigers make an ACC championship game, as well another $36,000 if they win a bowl game with eight-plus wins in the regular season.
Or he can earn $72,000 — rather than $36,000 — if they win a conference title. Plus, $144,000 if Clemson wins a national championship.
There are also $10,000 bonuses that can be earned if the Tigers rank top 20 in blocked kicks, blocked kicks allowed, blocked punts, blocked punts allowed, net punting average, or punt return defense.
Bisaccia can bring in another $20,000 apiece if Clemson ranks top 20 in punt returns, kickoff return defense, or kickoff returns.
“I love his experience. I love that he cares about me and he loves Clemson in particular,” Swinney said in a statement. “His experience and expertise in all things football — not just special teams — are also a huge value to us.”
Bisaccia comes to Clemson after a four-year stint with the Green Bay Packers, which wraps up a nearly quarter-century run in the NFL.
The 65-year-old, who coached running backs and special teams for Clemson from 1994-98, joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a Super Bowl title run in 2002.
Bisaccia also had stints with the Chargers (2011-12), Cowboys (2013-17) and Raiders (2018-21), including an assignment as interim head coach in his final season in Las Vegas. That year, the Raiders made the playoffs.
Bisaccia unexpectedly left the Packers in February, returning to the Tigers nearly three decades after he departed.
“After I made the decision to move in a new direction, Coach Swinney approached me with the opportunity to come back to a place that holds special meaning for me and my family,” Bisaccia said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to be able to return to the Clemson community and serve this program in any way I can.”
Bisaccia almost returned to the college ranks in 2013 when he took a job at Auburn. But in three weeks, he was hired away by the Cowboys.
The employee buyout provision in Bisaccia’s contract at Clemson specifies he can leave for any position in the NFL or a head coaching position in college without owing the university money. If he left for any other position, he’d have to return 25 percent of his remaining compensation.