Penn State AD Sandy Barbour addresses James Franklin's contract extension situation
There’s no rush.
That was what Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said on Monday about the ongoing extension talks with James Franklin, who is under contract through 2019.
On Monday, Barbour was asked about how talks have progressed since she addressed the issue after Penn State’s surprise run to the B1G Championship in December.
Is there a deal in the works?
“Stay tuned,” Barbour said via PennLive.
That can mean a lot of things. What we do know is that many expected a deal to get done shortly after Penn State concluded its 11-3 season that ended with a last-second Rose Bowl loss. That, however, didn’t happen.
RELATED: Why hasn’t James Franklin’s extension been settled yet?
Franklin wasn’t asked about the subject while in York, Pa. for the start of Penn State’s Coaches Caravan. He did, however comment on the “crazy” salaries of coaches like Nick Saban, who will make more than $11 million in 2017 under his new deal.
Franklin’s B1G coaching rivals, Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh, are signed through 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The interesting thing with Franklin was that in a matter of two months, Barbour went from saying Franklin wasn’t on any hot seat to answering questions about an inevitable extension offer. As long as Franklin is on his current deal — one that will pay him $4.3 million in guarantees and $1.6 million in base salary in 2017 — the questions will continue.
Will a deal get done before the start of 2017?
As Barbour said, stay tuned.