<p>Georgia coach Mark Richt signed his eight-year, $16 million contract Monday, six months after the agreement was reached.</p><p>"It was just a matter of having lawyers sort through it," Richt said Monday before speaking to the Greater Atlanta Bulldog Club.</p><p>"I'm excited about it and I hope Georgia is excited about it," Richt said. "It shows I'm serious about being here a long time and it shows Georgia is serious about me and my staff being here for a long time."</p><p>The contract boosts Richt's annual salary from $1.5 million to $2 million, though Georgia athletic director Damon Evans said Monday $300,000 each year is a longevity bonus Richt will receive in a lump sum of $2.4 million at the end of the deal.</p><p>Evans said Richt can earn up to $400,000 in bonuses, including incentives for high graduation rates and for championship seasons.</p><p>The contract extends through the 2013 season and places Richt among the highest paid coaches in the Southeastern Conference.</p><p>"It's no different than what I said my first day at Georgia, my goal is to be at Georgia as long as they will have me," Richt said.</p><p>Richt's raise comes after Georgia won the 2005 SEC championship, the school's second title in four seasons. Before Richt, Georgia had not won an SEC title since 1982.</p><p>"It's good to know that it is done and we can focus on football," Evans said of the contract. "It means a lot to know that he's going to be here for a while. This allows him to move on to the football season and be focused on that."</p><p>Richt is 52-13 in five years at Georgia.</p><p>Georgia was ranked No. 10 with a 10-3 record in the final Associated Press poll for the 2005 season. It has had four straight top 10 finishes under Richt, winning 10 or more games each of those seasons.</p><p>Georgia players will report Friday and have their first practice Saturday.</p><p>Richt told fans senior Joe Tereshinski will open practice as the No. 1 quarterback.</p><p>"He's going to be tough to beat out," Richt said.</p><p>The Bulldogs will be without receiver Sean Bailey, who is recovering from a knee injury.</p><p>Richt also told fans his wife, Katharyn, is recovering and doing well. Katharyn Richt had a hysterectomy in April following a diagnosis for cervical cancer.</p><p>Richt earlier said the pathology report showed the cancer had been diagnosed early and had not spread. He told the crowd she would be ready for her normal game-day duty as the top watergirl on the Georgia sideline.</p><p>"My wife's situation kind of put things on the back burner," Richt said, referring to his contract. "It made it less important than it was before."</p>
