Jedd Fisch added longtime NFL coach Matt Cavanaugh to his Washington Huskies‘ coaching staff as a senior offensive analyst for the 2026 season, and he’ll be getting paid like a full-time assistant coach after the program parted ways with offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty in February.
Despite no official title, Cavanaugh is expected to act as the de facto offensive coordinator for Fisch, who will continue to call plays this fall. For his services, he’ll be compensated with $480,000, according to a report from OnMontlake’s Christian Caple.
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In comparison, safeties coach Taylor Mays will make $425,000 in 2026, while linebackers coach Brian Odom will receive $450,000.
“We’re going to bring in a senior assistant that can help with some of the roles of game planning,” Fisch told On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman. “I wanted to bring in someone with some new ideas, someone that’s not been a part of our program, someone that can come in with some uniqueness to it.”
With 14 years of experience as an offensive coordinator, ten coming in the NFL between the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, and Washington Commanders, and four in the college ranks at his alma mater, Pittsburgh, Cavanaugh will bring a different perspective to Fisch’s staff. After mainly opting for internal hires on offense during his time as a head coach, the 69-year-old is a rare outsider to be brought in, but he already has a good understanding of what Fisch will be running.
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In 2015 and 2016, Cavanaugh acted as the quarterbacks coach in Washington under then-offensive coordinator Sean McVay, with whom Fisch worked in 2018 and 2019 with the Los Angeles Rams, and modeled a good portion of his offense after.
While it remains to be seen how involved Cavanaugh will be, his salary suggests that he will wind up as an important part of Washington’s coaching staff this fall.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies to pay Matt Cavanaugh like full-time assistant
