Nebraska football isn’t one to buck the trend regarding adding a General Manager to the staff. That’s why it hired former New England Patriots staffer Pat Stewart to oversee the day to day operations of the program in a way that allows head coach Matt Rhule to focus on coaching.
It’s a trend that has come out of nowhere and yet many, many schools that can afford it are doing something similar. It used to be that an Athletic Director would deal with that kind of thing, but the AD also didn’t have to worry about how to dole out rev share or NIL dollars. Stewart woll almost certainly work on that to some degree, though his official duties are bound to change from one day to the next.
One of the reasons roles like Stewart’s are getting bigger with the Nebraska football program and elsewhere is because they pay a pretty penny too. That’s likely because the job demands plenty of time and attention. Stewart himself is certainly getting a nice little salary. The university released the new GM’s pay on Wednesday and it turns out, according to On3’s Sean Callahan he’s among the highest paid General Managers in the sport, making $2.55 million over a three year deal.
Nebraska football GM among highest paid in the sport
Stewart will officially make $800,000 in 2025, $850,000 in 2026 and $900,000 in 2027. His financial terms will reset each February in 2026 and 2027. His deal officially began on Mar. 3, 2025.
Callahan pointed out that only Oklahoma’s Jim Nagy and North Carolina’s Michael Lombardi $1.5M are the higher salaries at the position.
If true, it certainly shows that the Nebraska football program is ready to go all in to try and turn things around. Not just get to a bowl game and call it good.