Contracts released for Gus Malzahn, Bruce Pearl and football assistants

• Malzahn bonuses%2C buyout structure change under new deal
• Auburn football assistants to earn %244.32 million in 2014%2C up from %243.495 million
• Bruce Pearl would owe back entire %24500%2C000 signing bonus if he violates NCAA show-cause penalty

AUBURN -- Auburn released the contracts of football coach Gus Malzahn, his staff of assistant coaches, and basketball coach Bruce Pearl on Friday.

Many of the details of the contracts, which in the case of Malzahn and nine assistants were actually amendments to their current contracts following last season, were previously reported, as he reached a Letter of Agreement on a new six-year $26.85 million deal on the eve of the SEC Championship game.

Malzahn's base salary of $500,000 does not change but his payment for personal endorsement rights and media appearances both increase from $900,000 to $1,675,000 each, with increases of $125,000 annually through 2019. As reported on Dec. 7 of last year, Malzahn will earn $5.1 million in the final year of this current deal.

There are several new bonuses in Malzahn's contract, which was signed on March 31.

If Auburn does not play in the SEC Championship game, but accepts a bid to a national semifinal game in the new College Football Playoff, or any of the other four New Year's Six bowls, Malzahn will earn a bonus of $200,000, an increase from the $100,000 bonus he would've earned for BCS bowls previously, or $150,000 for a berth in the BCS National Championship game.

His bonus for any other bowl game remains $50,000.

Should Malzahn lead Auburn to the National Championship game, he'll collect $300,000 if the Tigers were to lose and the same $500,000 as his old contract if they win.

Malzahn's buyout also changes under the new contract.

Auburn would owe Malzahn $2,237,500 per year remaining on his contact if it were to buy him out before the end of the term. Previously the sum was his $500,000 salary for each year remaining.

If Malzahn were to leave Auburn before the end of the term, he would owe Auburn the total of any outstanding payments owed to his assistants would either don't follow him to a new employer or are not retained by the new coaching staff. Previously he would've owed the university the remaining salary of only his contract.

As first reported by the Montgomery Advertiser on March 22, Malzahn's nine assistants all received raises, and extensions through either June 2016 or 2017.

Every assistant signed their new contract letters by Feb. 21, with the exception of defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner, who signed his on March 25, which includes an annual $50,000 retention bonus paid on Feb. 15 through 2017.

Malzahn's staff earned $3,495,000 in salary last season not including bonuses, ranking fifth nationally and third in the SEC behind LSU ($4,565,803) and Alabama ($4,462,700), according to USA TODAY. The same group will earn $4.32 million in 2014.

The biggest jump in salary among assistants was offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, from $350,000 to $600,000, and his deal was extended through June 2017.

The rest of the staff earned increases in salary ranging from $25,000 to $150,000.

Lashlee, Garner, defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, wide receiver coach Dameyune Craig and safeties coach Charlie Harbison were all extended through 2017, while J.B. Grimes, Scott Fountain, Tim Horton and Melvin Smith were extended through 2016.

Strength and conditioning coach Ryan Russell was given a raise of $75,000 from $210,000 to $285,000 and extended through 2016.

Pearl's six-year $14.7 million includes $250,000 in base salary, and $975,000 in both endorsement rights and media appearances, with increases of $50,000 annually in both. He received a one-time signing bonus of $500,000.

Pearl can earn any of 16 different performance bonuses ranging from $25,000 (20 victories or nine SEC wins in first two seasons, or 22 wins, 25 wins or an NIT Championship) to $200,000 for an NCAA National Championship. There are standard academic-related bonuses for Pearl as well.

There is a clause relating to Pearl's assistants that states "No person shall be announced or employed as an assistant basketball coach until a favorable clearance from the NCAA and SEC has first been obtained" by athletic director Jay Jacobs.

There are several clauses in Pearl's 35-page contract, which he signed on May 12, including a provision were he to violate his NCAA show-cause penalty, in which case Pearl would owe Auburn $500,000.

Pearl's buyout is for 50 percent of his remaining compensation, less any offsetting income he were to earn during the remainder of his term.

Should Pearl leave there is a decreasing sum he would owe Auburn, starting at $5,000,000 if he left before April 15, 2016 and decreasing by $1 million annually through 2020, with a final amount of $250,000 if he left after April 15, 2020 but before the end of the term, which runs through June 2020.