Missouri made a splash of a hire in new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, and his compensation terms reflect it.

The former Arizona Cardinals head coach and long-time NFL assistant became the first seven-figure assistant coach in Mizzou history. Wilks, 51, agreed to a two-year contract that will pay him a guaranteed $2.4 million, Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Wilks’ base salary for 2021 will be $800,000, plus a $200,000 retention bonus that he’ll receive after the season. In year two, his base salary increases to $1 million during which he’ll receive two more retention payments of $200,000 each year, bringing the total deal worth a guaranteed $2.4 million. He’ll also be eligible for standard bonuses for MU assistant coaches.

Wilks’ deal surpasses the compensation to former offensive coordinator Derek Dooley (2018-19), who was previously the highest paid assistant at Mizzou, as he made $925,000 in his second year with the program. Wilks replaced defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who made $900,000 per year and had two years left on his contract. Walters left earlier this month for the same position at Illinois.

At a press conference on Monday, coach Eli Drinkwitz boastd of Wilks’ NFL experience.

“He’s going to have more experience on the NFL side of football than any other coordinator in our conference,” Drinkwitz said