Texas A&M enters last year of Adidas deal with no renewal signed

Texas A&M's athletic department has entered the last year of its uniform and equipment agreement with Adidas, and no new deal has been reached, according to reporting by KBTX.

The station obtained the contract through an open records request. Under it, the current deal expires June 30, 2027, and pays $15 million in base compensation along with $30 million in product allotment, KBTX reported. The station put the total value of the five-year agreement at more than $47 million.

What the contract says about renewal

The agreement set a 180-day window for talks on extension terms that opened on Jan. 2, 2026, according to KBTX. A&M is allowed to speak with other manufacturers during the final year. Adidas, however, holds a right of first refusal: once the contract expires, it has 30 days to match any competing offer, the station reported.

Trev Alberts, A&M's athletic director, told KBTX that no new agreement with Adidas has been finalized. Asked follow-up questions by text about where negotiations stand, he replied, "Nothing to communicate at this time." Alberts also told the station there was no news on whether A&M would add a jersey sponsorship patch, something the school has not done.

The contract includes an exception for track and field, which uses Nike equipment, according to KBTX.

History of the partnership

A&M left Nike for Adidas in 2007, giving the two a partnership of 19 years. KBTX reported that in 2025 the deal paid a $125,000 bonus when the football team hosted a first-round playoff game in the College Football Playoff, and $100,000 for national titles won by the volleyball (women's) and track (men's) programs.

More than a dozen A&M athletes have signed name, image and likeness deals with Adidas under the current contract, the station said.

Former athletic director Ross Bjork, who helped negotiate the agreement, said in a 2024 interview with The Bryan-College Station Eagle that it was "a top-15 deal" in college apparel and said Adidas was "the best option, financially" at the time.

How the market has shifted

Since the deal began, athletes have gained the ability to be paid for their name, image and likeness, and athletic departments have looked for new money to cover revenue sharing with players. The NCAA also began allowing jersey patches in January 2026, KBTX noted.

Jonathan Jensen, an associate professor of sports management at A&M, told KBTX those changes will shape the next round of talks. He said some schools now accept a smaller apparel payment in exchange for more money directed to athlete NIL deals, and he could see A&M taking that approach. "They don't necessarily need a lot of cash.

What they need is great players, right?" he said.

Jensen also said that sponsor patches from other companies "should reduce the value" of apparel partnerships, and that A&M's lack of a patch could give it leverage at the bargaining table. In his view, Adidas and Nike are the only brands still truly competing for whole-department deals, and he expects Adidas to push to keep the Aggies.

"They don't want Nike to have both A&M and UT Austin," he told the station.

Among other Texas programs, Nike supplies Texas, TCU, Baylor and Houston, while Texas Tech is with Adidas, according to KBTX.

Sources

KBTX