It’s hardly been a full year since Nick Saban passed the torch to Kalen DeBoer in Tuscaloosa. But now? That torch is flickering. Alabama fans are side-eyeing a 9–4 season, no Playoff, and suddenly whispering the unthinkable: Is the G.O.A.T really done? Last Monday, ESPN’s Greg McElroy was the first to light the match that turned into a full-blown fire: Someone “very much in the know” thinks Nick Saban might low-key not be done just yet. The GOAT skipped out on the 2025 SEC kickoff, but his name was everywhere. And even though his daughter, Kristen Saban Setas, also shut it all down quickly, Colin Cowherd’s latest take just added more fuel to the fire.

Nick Saban walked away in January 2024 with 11 SEC titles, 7 national championships, and countless other accolades at the age of ripe age of 72. While he consistently denied NIL chaos as being the reason behind the decision—while blaming the inevitability of retirement when “you get to my age”—the community has never believed him. And now, with fresh conversations on his comeback, a new lane just opened up. One that talks about Lombardis. But will the road be so easy?

On July 19, FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd hopped onto The Herd with a calculator & assumptions. He began, “I’m guessing here that’s coming from [Greg McElroy’s] Alabama sources. Then Lane Kiffin says—and Lane’s close to Nick, more close than many other assistants—’Yeah, I think my guess is he may miss…developing young people. He really loves that’…So I brought Urban Meyer on this week, who is friends with Nick, and he said, ‘I don’t think he’s going back to college, but he’s going to…take NFL calls.’ And this is one of those things where, and I told Urban this, and Urban hadn’t thought about it a lot.”

Cowherd clearly wasn’t sold on the fairytale Tuscaloosa return, as he further explained, “[The NIL has] actually been a beneficial additive for coaches. You can’t fire Brian Kelly or Lincoln Riley if you wanted to, because USC just built $300 million in facilities. They got that from the donors. They raise $18 million a year NIL. They got it from the donors. To buy out Lincoln would be $80 million and then you’d have to pay $60-$80 million to get the new coach. USC in Southern California, the biggest economy in the country. They can’t afford it.”

“The idea that Alabama, who is struggling to raise 15 million a year, NIL, could buy out Kalen DeBoer for $70 million and then bring Nick back for a $100 million, six-year deal? They don’t have close to that money….And so my take is with Nick, he’s not going to college because nobody’s buying out their coaches anymore. Nick’s not coming back for $12 million, two years.” And he’s not wrong. While Alabama’s collective, Yeah Alabama, scrapes together around $15.9 million annually, they’re getting lapped by schools with deeper pockets and fatter boosters. Programs like Texas and USC are making it rain. Meanwhile, Greg Byrne, the athletic director, has practically begged donors for more cash. DeBoer even joked publicly that Alabama feels “broke” by modern NIL standards.

According to Cowherd: “Nick’s [only] coming back [with], ‘I want four years guaranteed. I want $13 million per year.’ That’s $52 million minimum. Then you’ve got to buy out your coach. It’s not happening.” It is likely Saban’s not pulling a Brady and returning on a discount. If he comes back, he wants the bag. The full bag. And in the current landscape, that just isn’t happening in college football. Not even for the King.

So, if Alabama can’t pony up the cash, what’s next? According to Colin Cowherd, don’t sleep on the NFL.

Colin Cowherd tips potential NFL landing spot for Nick Saban

Cowherd pointed out that Saban might follow the Jim Harbaugh playbook: find an owner willing to spend, pair with a solid QB, and build a staff that doesn’t come cheap. That’s what Harbaugh did with the Chargers. The Spanos family, long roasted for being tightwads, finally opened the vault. They paid Justin Herbert, brought in Jesse Minter and Greg Roman, and built a sparkling new facility in El Segundo. Suddenly, that “cheap” label? Dead and buried.

“They’re spending money,” Cowherd said of the Chargers. “That’s an unfair criticism now. I thought it was fair until about three, four years ago.” And now, enter Saban. NFL teams need more than just strategy. They need sizzle. And Colin thinks Cleveland’s got both the need and the itch: “I think Saban looks around—and I’ll throw this at you—Jimmy Haslam loves publicity. The Browns are probably the worst team in the league. Arch Manning goes to Cleveland. Manning’s there. Saban’s there. He coached in Cleveland before. They would be the most interesting team in the league. You’d give him a five-year—what’s $15 million times five? $75 million deal. Yeah, I think Nick would do it.” Cowherd pitched.

Nick Saban knows how unpredictable college ball has become. But the NFL, with the right ownership, still offers something coaches crave: power. No boosters. No high school handlers. Just a headset and a game plan. Do you think this could work?