TCU's Gary Patterson has a new contract that will make him the Horned Frogs' coach through the 2018 season, the school announced.

A source said that Patterson's total package pays him close to $3 million per season and that the entire deal is guaranteed.

The Frogs just completed their first perfect season since winning a national championship in 1938. The 13-0 mark included a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin, the school's second consecutive BCS appearance.

"TCU let me grow as a coach," Patterson, who was watching the Cotton Bowl from his home Friday night, told ESPNDallas.com. "They gave me an opportunity to be a head coach and to do what we've been able to do. We've come a long way in 13 years and it's been fun to be a part of it. I feel like I'm just a member of the staff. The entire university, not just the football program, is trying to win championships."

Patterson said he met with his coaching staff Monday following the Rose Bowl to go over recruiting video and then went out on recruiting visits all week. TCU has recruiting weekends coming up this month in preparation for February's signing day.

He said part of his new contract was that he made sure his assistants were also taken care of, from his coordinators to the equipment managers.

"We're 0-0 now," said Patterson, who turns 51 in February. "You have to work even harder once you have success. That's the way you make sure you can do it again and for the next five years."

TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte did not want to comment on Patterson's annual salary, and TCU doesn't have to disclose it as a private institution.

"He's a top-10 coach and he's being paid accordingly," Del Conte told ESPNDallas.com on Friday night.

Patterson received nine National Coach of the Year honors in 2009 after leading TCU to a Fiesta Bowl appearance against Boise State. He is 98-28, the best record of any TCU coach with at least 100 games under his belt. He's second at the school only to Dutch Meyer, who had 109 wins and coached two national championship teams (1935 and 1938) at TCU.

Del Conte said that Patterson sat down with TCU before the Rose Bowl and agreed to the parameters of the extension. Patterson's contract was extended two years after 2009 and the university wanted to do the same after this season.

"We want him at TCU and he wants to be here," Del Conte said. "This deal takes him until he's 58."

Patterson has led the Horned Frogs to double-digit wins in seven of his 10 seasons. They are 36-3 overall the past three years and are poised to finish No. 2 in the country when this season is over. His .778 winning percentage is second nationally among active coaches with a minimum of five years' experience.

The Horned Frogs have won six conference titles with Patterson on the staff and have 12 bowl appearances in 13 years, going 8-4 with Patterson either as defensive coordinator or head coach.

Before Patterson showed up in Fort Worth, the program had four bowl wins in its history.

Richard Durrett covers colleges for ESPNDallas.com. You can follow him on Twitter or leave a question for his mailbag.