THIBODAUX, La. -- The New Orleans Saints have signed head coach Jim Haslett to a four-year contract extension and made him the highest-paid coach in Saints history.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the contract is believed to be worth about $15 million, placing Haslett among the 10 highest-paid NFL coaches, at an average of $3 million annually, the Times-Picayune of New Orleans reported in its Thursday editions.

Haslett was heading into the final year of his initial three-year deal.

"Today's extension keeps Haslett under contract with the Saints through the 2006 season, but the contract also allows for the opportunity to extend beyond 2006 and run through the 2010 season, based on the performance of the team,'' the Saints said in a news release. "That additional extension will be automatically triggered each year by the Saints winning the NFC South.''

The new contract will take effect this year, replacing the deal he signed three years ago when he became the Saints coach.

Haslett had been negotiating the deal for months, but was not worried about getting it done. He said signing the draft picks was more important than getting his contract worked out.

"I was in no rush,'' Haslett said. "I told you before during the offseason that it didn't bother me that I didn't have it done. I knew that it was going to get done.''

Haslett did not use an agent, negotiating the deal himself.

"I talked to a bunch of them,'' Haslett said. "I decided I'd do it myself. It's not that hard.''

Haslett's base salary before the deal was $900,000, which put him in the bottom quarter of the NFL's 32 head coaches.

"We sat down and Mickey and I got all the salaries as we could best determine for head coaches, and we really kind of worked out what we thought was fair,'' Haslett said. "You can't put myself in the same category as a Mike Shanahan who's been in the league that many years and been to a Super Bowl. Or Bill Cower, who I worked for and has been to the Super Bowl and been in the league for 10 years now.''

Haslett said it was a fair deal and he was very happy with it. Both Haslett and Loomis said that signing Haslett to a long-term deal gives the franchise stability.

"I think it's a great opportunity to do something over the next few years, and build something long-term,'' Haslett said. "You don't want to build a team that will win one year and then lose and be up and down. We would like to build something that people can be proud of and the expectations will be high all the time. I think we can do that.''

The team is also raising the salaries of the assistant coaches and extended the length of the coordinators' contracts.

Hired Feb. 3 after the firing of Mike Ditka. He had never been a head coach before, serving as the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers for three years before joining the Saints. Haslett led the Saints to the first playoff victory in franchise history in 2000 and was voted NFL Coach of the Year that year.