Chad Morris finalizes contract with Arkansas

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His annual salary will be $3.5 million from university and private funds, and his contract runs through Dec. 31, 2023.

Morris will be eligible for up to $1 million in competition-based bonuses and $200,000 in academic-based bonuses each year, and is eligible for three retention payments of $500,000 apiece, contingent that no "significant" NCAA violations have occurred and the program is not on NCAA probation at the time the payments are due in February of 2019, 2021 and 2023.

If Morris is fired for convenience on or before Dec. 31, 2022, he will be eligible to receive 70 percent of his $3.5 million annual salary for the duration of his contract. If he is fired on or after Jan. 1, 2023, he will be eligible to receive 100 percent of his remaining salary.

For example, if Morris is fired on Jan. 1, 2020, he would be owed a total of $9.8 million, or 70 percent of the $14 million value of the final four years of his contract. Those payments would be made monthly through the expiration of his contract in December 2023.

Morris' contract lists 21 offenses that would prompt the university to fire him with cause. The offenses range from detrimental conduct to knowingly committing NCAA or Southeastern Conference violations, to not reporting known sexual assault or sexual harassment offenses by athletes or football employees to the university Title IX office. Other fireable offenses include betting on college or professional sports, arrests or convictions for crimes related to anything other than minor traffic violations, and the sale or possession of illegal drugs and narcotics.

The UA paid Morris' previous employer, Southern Methodist University, $2 million to hire him, according to the contract.

According to his contract, Morris would owe the UA $3 million if he accepts another job prior to Dec. 31, 2019; $2.5 million if he accepts another job in 2020; $2 million in 2021; $1.5 million in 2022; and would not owe the Razorbacks any money if he leaves for another job during the final year of his contract.