Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher to LSU was more than a pipe dream rumor, if you believe a report in the Baton Rouge Advocate.

An intermediary for Fisher (likely his agent) and the Tigers entered negotiations that were ongoing as recently as late last week, The Advocate reported, citing four unnamed sources.

The Baton Rouge Business Journal quoted LSU president F. King Alexander as saying that firing Les Miles would’ve been “a $15 to $25 million decision” including the buyouts of the entire staff. That report had plenty of details about the back story behind the decision to retain Miles.

But it left out the fact that LSU and Fisher’s representatives seemed to engage in significant discussions about the position. The Advocate alluded to Fisher’s $5 million buyout and the fact that LSU would’ve needed to pay the FSU coach more than $5 million per season.

According to the paper:

The final price tag to part ways with Miles and hire Fisher was more than $30 million. The figure “shocked” Alexander and other officials. Some fought for the coach because of their relationship with him.

The report indicates that LSU was leaning toward Miles mid-week even as the school negotiated with Fisher’s representative, mostly due to the financial cost.

Fisher’s camp came out strongly in public at the end of last week saying he would not leave Florida State for LSU. It was widely assumed that was a decision that stemmed from Fisher, but this new report at least casts a modicum of doubt on that theory.