New Mexico State signs Doug Martin to Four Year Contract Extension

Doug Martin is here in Las Cruces to stay. Gone is that silly “three year” contract that was really just three one year contracts. Here to stay is the new, four year deal Coach Martin just signed today to remain the head coach of the Aggies through 2021 (and potentially beyond).

AD Mario Moccia stated that the funds for the new contract came from the generous debt extension the reagents approved back in March.

Doug Martin was thrilled with the new and improved contract and had this to say about the new deal:

“My family and I are excited about continuing to build a quality football program at New Mexico State,” Martin said. “This gives our program great stability. The support we have received from Mario Moccia and especially Chancellor Arvizu is greatly appreciated. The Chancellor has made Vicki and I feel that we are really appreciated and that he is looking for football to have an important role for the University and its growth.”

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Terms of Contract

The new contract gives Coach Martin a base salary of $419,640.40 for the 2018 season with increases each year until 2021 when it plateaus at $437,000.

The craziest part of the new deal (and best in my opinion) is that Doug Martin gets an automatic one year extension tacked on for each year he wins six games in a season. If he does that all four years, this contract will turn into an eight year contract.

The contract also raises the bonus for rivalry wins from $5,000 to $10,000 and provides an additional $20,000 bonus for six wins (and/or a bowl invite) and $25,000 for seven wins.

What this Contract Means

With the Aggies heading into football independence, it was crucial the university took the steps to maintain a great leader like Coach Martin and allow him to sell program stability on the recruiting trail.

It will also help him build on the historic success of the 2017 season that saw NMSU football pull out their first bowl appearance and victory in 57 years, first winning record since 2002, sweeps of rivals UNM and UTEP for the first time since ‘02 (first time beating UTEP at home and UNM on the road since 1976), set records in sacks (43), and produce the best offensive numbers since 2006 (29.3 ppg, 448 ypg).

Oh, and NMSU did that playing only five home games and faced zero FCS teams.

More importantly, the genius addition of the automatic extensions gives the university a consistent salary for budget purposes and prevents the need of a bigger contract if Martin continues to improve the success of the program.

Being fiscally responsible at NMSU is a must and I’m always impressed by the job AD Moccia does.

Congrats to Head Coach Doug Martin on the new contract, he certainly deserve it!

What better way for the NMSU community to celebrate than enjoying some Pistol Pete’s 1888 ale?