Herm Edwards Is Walking Away From A Ton Of Buyout Money

Herm Edwards is leaving millions of dollars on the table.

The former Arizona State coach was fired back in September after a humiliating loss to Eastern Michigan, and his bank account has now taken a loss.

Edwards has agreed to take only 50% of the buyout money owed to him, according to The State Press. That means ASU will pay him roughly $4.4 million through 2024. He will keep a $590,000 academic performance bonus through 2024, according to the same report.

Herm Edwards buyout details released. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Herm Edwards walking away from millions is an interesting decision.

Why did Herm Edwards leave millions of dollars on the table? It's not clear, and there's no question it's a strange move.

Buyout money is pretty much always guaranteed. At the very least, a large chunk of it is. However, the former NFL coach is leaving more money on the table than most people make working 30 years.

How much buyout money is Herm Edwards owed? He was fired after going 26-20 with the Sun Devils. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

One possible explanation is ASU held possible violations over his head as leverage to void any guaranteed money.

If that happened, which is pure speculation, Edwards might be incentivized to take less instead of fighting for the whole thing.

It's better to get some than nothing at all. That's definitely true when talking about millions of dollars.

Herm Edwards is leaving millions of buyout money on the table. Will he coach again? (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Edwards finished his time in Tempe with a record of 26-20 and one bowl game. The Sun Devils never had more than eight wins in a season with him leading the way.