The NFL rumor mill is spinning, but not everyone is buying in. With whispers gaining steam about legendary coach Nick Saban potentially making a dramatic return to the pros, one man who knows him well is throwing cold water on the idea. Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett isn’t just skeptical — he’s confident Saban’s coaching days on NFL turf are over, and he has a compelling reason why.
As chatter heats up around the possibility of Nick Saban coming out of retirement for an NFL comeback, one familiar voice in football circles is calling for calm. Jason Garrett, who once worked alongside Saban with the Miami Dolphins, believes the notion of Saban returning to pro football is far-fetched — and he didn’t mince words.
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Garrett shared an insider’s view of Saban’s earlier stint in the NFL and explained exactly why the legendary Alabama coach walked away from it in the first place.
“In college, you can reload every year — sometimes with double-digit elite talents. In the NFL, you get one first-round pick and a much tougher path to rebuilding,” Garrett said, offering a blunt reality check for fans and analysts entertaining the idea of Saban’s return.
He emphasized that in the college game, success leads to more success: top recruits flock to programs that win. But in the NFL, winning teams pick later in the draft and face salary cap challenges, making it harder to maintain dominance. That philosophical and structural difference, Garrett argues, is precisely what pushed Saban away from the Dolphins job back in 2006.
Garrett didn’t dismiss Saban’s recent frustrations with the college game, especially amid the chaos of the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) era. Still, he firmly believes that if Saban were to re-enter coaching — a big “if” — it wouldn’t be by returning to the pros.
“I would bet against that,” Garrett said confidently. “The NFL doesn’t offer the same advantages Nick had at Alabama. And he knows that.”
Saban, who announced his retirement in early 2024 after an iconic 17-season run at Alabama, built one of the greatest dynasties in college football history. And while his NFL tenure with the Dolphins was short-lived, the lessons he took from that experience seem to have left a lasting impression — one that points to the unlikelihood of him ever heading back to the professional level.
As rumors swirl and social media stirs the pot, Garrett’s take stands out for its logic and authenticity. He isn’t speculating from afar — he’s speaking from real experience. And according to him, fans hoping to see Saban roaming an NFL sideline again should probably let go of that dream.
Simply put, the college game was tailor-made for Nick Saban’s system of control, structure, and sustained dominance. And while the landscape may be shifting at the collegiate level, the NFL — with its parity-driven design and complex roster limitations — likely offers none of the stability or flexibility Saban values most.
Unless something drastically changes, Jason Garrett’s words might be the closest thing we get to closure on the Saban-NFL saga: don’t count on it.
