Southeastern University is excited about the prospect of hiring Coach Reynolds as its new football coach. The parties have agreed in principle that he will be the new coach, but have to work out the details of his contract. You represent the Coach.

I have met with Coach Reynolds and discussed what he wants from the negotiation. Here are some key points from our discussion:

• In his previous five-year contract at Midwest U., Coach Reynolds made an annual salary of $800,000 and his total package was worth approximately $950,000 a year. His only perquisites (other than basic health and life insurance) were a weekly TV/radio show during the football season, a summer football camp, and use of a Ford Explorer.

• Midwest U. would be happy for Reynolds to continue in his current position and has offered him a new five-year contract with an annual salary of $900,000. Reynolds, however, is ready to move up in the world and is not excited about the prospect of continuing at Midwest, but would do so as a last option.

• Given both his success at Midwest U and the fact that Southeastern is in a better conference that Midwest U, Reynolds hopes to raise the level of his financial package significantly. Southeastern's conference, the Big 7, is very similar to the Pac-12 and the ACC.

• In light of the ages of his children and his large family, Reynolds also is keen on securing a large percentage of his income and perquisites as guaranteed. This is particularly true because the lack of quality talent on the football team currently at Southeastern may make it difficult for Reynolds to meet certain performance levels in the first couple of years at Southeastern.

• Reynolds also wants to retain flexibility to leave should a better offer come open during the term of his contract.

• While perquisites and performance bonuses are nice, Reynolds is interested in maximizing his base salary, as he is a simple man and prefers guaranteed cash.

• Most of all, we want to make sure that we are able to finalize the deal with Southeastern, as Reynolds does not want to return to Midwest U. This must be done as soon as possible as the State of Southeastern is scheduled to release its annual economic outlook on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Through very confidential information that has not been made available to Southeastern, we have found out that the State will announce a 5% budget cut for next year. If Reynolds has not signed the contract by then, the University may not be able to offer as large of a salary package.

• You have the authority to enter into the contract on behalf of the Coach Reynolds. Please close the deal in accordance with his interests on as favorable terms as possible.

Can I have some assistance with this?