Steve Sarkisian’s 2025 season at Texas has been far from the high-octane success many expected. But Coach Sark is not taking the load, as he is vying for a new career opportunity elsewhere. It all started with the Longhorns sitting 5-2, ranking 81st nationally in scoring offense at just 26.7 points per game. Sarkisian himself admitted, “We have to get out of our own way offensively.” But along with the changes, Sarkisian is also looking for new job opportunities in the NFL.

“I’m told that representatives for Texas coach Steve Sarkisian have let NFL decision makers know that he would be interested in potential head coaching openings, NFL insider,” Dianna Russini posted on X. “Including the Titans.” Now this may be something that’s new for Sark, but it’s an already-witnessed scenario in the SEC. Back in 2021, it was Dan Mullen who tried this stunt of entering the pros. The UNLV Rebels HC, back in 2021, found himself navigating swirling rumors about a possible jump to the NFL.

During his first spring football press conference that year, Mullen was asked straight-up about those whispers. He didn’t shut the door on them but kept things pretty diplomatic. “You know what, I didn’t speak, I didn’t interview with any NFL teams this year. So, you know, most of my focus was on getting us back to Atlanta to get back to the SEC Championship Game,” Mullen said. “A lot of rumors out there, but I didn’t speak to anybody.”  He molded his answer very perfectly on how the College Football landscape was changing with all the NIL drama.

“I think there are concerns with coaches is what the future of college football is going to look like,” he said. The rumors included a brief moment as a strong candidate for the New York Jets’ job. But it didn’t materialize in offers. On top of that, Mullen’s promising 29-6 record with the Gators stumbled badly, which ended up with him getting fired 10 months after his NFL dreams were swirling around. His final straw was a heartbreaking 24-23 overtime loss to Missouri, which capped a fourth straight loss to Power 5 teams. Coming back to Sark, his situation his somewhat similar.

But Sark posted an impressive 43–19 record since 2021, so one rocky season wouldn’t affect his career in CFB. Now, Sarkisian isn’t really new to the NFL scene. He was the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator from 2017-18 and served as the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach in 2004. So, the NFL world knows him, and he knows the pros. The Titans’ recent firing of Brian Callahan on October 14 opened up a prime opportunity. Tennessee’s roster features a promising young core. It includes the anticipated No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, quarterback Cam Ward. Sarkisian’s offensive creativity and knack for developing quarterbacks make him an attractive candidate.

Steve Sarkisian’s Texas woes aren’t meeting the contractual demands

With NFL coaching rumors swirling, let’s take a look at the Texas finances involved in this process. Sarkisian entered the scene at Austin in 2021. He signed a lucrative deal that was extended in February, securing him through 2031. His salary has also seen a bump from $10.4 million in 2025 to a potential $12.3 million by the final year. The extension came amidst Texas’s rising profile.

It all paid off when Sarkisian took the Longhorns to two College Football Playoff Semifinals and put them back among college football’s best. However, their present squad isn’t really reflecting the profound Longhorns legacy. The offensive line woes have been a nagging factor for Texas’ downfall this season. This was painfully obvious in their nail-biter 16-13 win over Kentucky, a team that hadn’t won an SEC game in eight tries.

The Wildcats entered the game with only seven sacks on the season and racked up three in this game alone. Those three sacks nearly doubled their average sack percentage of 4.49%. The instability of the O-Line allowed seven quarterback hurries. This left QB Arch Manning with almost no clean pockets to operate from. Manning completed the line with just 12 out of 27 passes for 132 yards and no TDs.