Tuesday was a big day around the Memphis football program.

The school announced a new contract for coach Ryan Silverfield that will take him through the 2028 season, essentially adding three years on to the old deal that would have expired in 2025. University officials had teased that they were getting close to an extension throughout the offseason, but the announcement finally came.

"This is all accumulation of the hard work of so many other coaches, of so many other staff members and so many players," Silverfield said after the Tigers' spring practice on Tuesday night. "Great sacrifice from all those people that have stood before me, that have stood with me and I'm appreciative of that. And that's what led us to here, today."

Under the previous contract, Silverfield's buyout if fired without cause was 60 percent of the money left on the deal. Those terms did not change in this new deal, according to a copy of the contract obtained by The Commercial Appeal through an open records request.

If Silverfield were to leave for another job on or before Dec. 31, 2024, he would owe Memphis $1.5 million. That figure decreases to $1 million after Dec. 31, 2025, $750,000 after Dec. 31, 2026 and $500,000 after Dec. 31, 2027.

Silverfield was the assistant head coach and offensive line coach when Mike Norvell left for Florida State in December 2019. After initially being named the interim coach, Silverfield was elevated to head coach and began his collegiate coaching career with the 2019 Cotton Bowl.

It was Norvell who brought Silverfield to Memphis after the two met during Silverfield's brief stint at Arizona State. But he'd been with the Detroit Lions when Norvell convinced him to move to the Bluff City.

"I'm grateful for Mike Norvell," Silverfield said. "He brought me here. I was tooth and nail saying, 'I'm going to stay in the NFL,' and he convinced me to come here. And it's been a blessing since."

The new contract is effectively a five-year, $12.25 million deal. Silverfield has now been at Memphis since 2016 and is signed through 2028.

"This is my ninth year here," Silverfield said. "It's interesting, sometimes I sit down with recruits and I tell them it's my ninth year and they say we haven't met with a single coach that's ever been anywhere for that long. This is the longest I've spent anywhere in my career. And I love it here. I'm thrilled to be here."

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield talks new 5-year contract