Matt Weiss to make $1.2 million over two-year deal as Michigan quarterbacks coach

Michigan quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss, the last hire to Jim Harbaugh’s staff, has signed a two-year deal worth $1.2 million.

Weiss will make $600,000 per year, according to the memorandum of understanding obtained Wednesday by The Detroit News via an open-records request. He signed the MOU on Feb. 22, the day Michigan opened spring practice. Weiss, 37, was hired the day before from the Baltimore Ravens filling a vacancy after linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary left for Tennessee after one season with the Wolverines..

According to the contract, if Weiss leaves Michigan, he must pay a buyout worth 25 percent of his base salary that year. If he leaves for another coaching position in the Big Ten, the amount bumps to 50 percent. There is no buyout if Weiss leaves for a head coaching or coordinator’s job outside of the Big Ten East division. If Harbaugh is fired or leaves Michigan, Weiss has no buyout obligation.

When Weiss was hired last month, that left an imbalance in the coaching staff with six assistants on offense and four on defense. First-year coach Ron Bellamy, hired from West Bloomfield High to coach receivers at his alma mater, moved to defense to coach safeties, and new hire George Helow switched from safeties to coach linebackers.

“I thought that was the best thing for our team,” Harbaugh said of hiring Weiss during a news conference last month. “That was the way I could configure (the staff) and also hire coach Weiss. Swung for the fences there and that’s how I could make it work. Then had to also ask Ron Bellamy to go to the secondary, which was part of the original plan way back in December-January and then George Helow moved from safeties to linebackers."

Harbaugh, as former Michigan and NFL quarterback, was expected to coach quarterbacks this season.  Weiss most recently coached the Ravens’ running backs, the No. 1 rushing team in the NFL, for John Harbaugh.  In 12 seasons with the Ravens, Weiss had several roles. He has coached on the defensive side and was cornerbacks coach in 2015, but in 2016 he moved to offense and worked with the quarterbacks for two seasons assisting coach Marty Mornhinweg.

achengelis@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @chengelis