Ever since Nick Saban retired from being the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, teams from every league and level have been trying to bring him in.
Nick Saban has been retired for three years, and he’s loved every minute of it.
But that won’t stop college programs or even NFL organizations attempting to poach the Alabama legend.
From LSU to Arkansas to Penn State and now the NFL, it seems the Alabama legend continues to draw interest, with Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam reportedly having his eyes set on him.
That is, according to radio host Tony Rizzo of The Really Big Show for ESPN Cleveland.
Given the uncertainty of the Browns, Rizzo seems to believe that Haslam is already looking toward the future.
"I have to say this because I've heard a lot of rumors, but I heard Jimmy [Haslam] is not done going after Nick Saban,” Rizzo said. “Now Nick wouldn't coach but he would have some kind of role. And to combine him with Arch Manning."
Rizzo's comments also come with an intriguing wrinkle: Arch Manning. The Browns could potentially be in position to draft the Texas quarterback, creating the possibility of Saban joining an organization built around one of college football's biggest stars.
The Browns are entering a pivotal stretch with Deshaun Watson's contract situation and their quarterback future still hanging over the organization, potentially giving Haslam reason to begin thinking about what's next.
Even though it’s Week 2, the Browns are in contention to get the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, and Manning seems to be the favorite to go No. 1.
Still, Saban has experience working in an advisory capacity after his retirement, having immediately taken on an advisor role with Alabama athletics.
Saban has made it clear how much he has enjoyed being retired. Last year, on the Pat McAfee Show, when the Penn State rumors were running wild after James Franklin’s firing, Saban made it clear how he felt about his current situation.
“You know, I want to stay retired,” Saban said. “I do not want [agent Jimmy Sexton] anywhere near [his wife] Miss Terry. Because when she hears some of these numbers, she gets interested. And I’m not interested… I have so much fun working with you (directed at McAfee). Why would I go do that?”
Miss Terry echoed that statement last season toward McAfee on College Gameday.
“Look, Pat, I have no doubt if Nick wanted to go back to coaching, he could win his eighth national championship,” Miss Terry said. “But we’re having too much fun, and we wouldn’t want to take that opportunity away from all of our baby coaches, like Kirby (Smart) and Lane (Kiffin). I haven’t heard a number yet, Pat.”
However, if he was coming to an NFL, according to Rizzo, he’d be in Cleveland for a hands-off advisor role. And Saban already has connections with the Browns, as he was the defensive coordinator for the Browns from 1991 to 1994, before he took the head coaching job at Michigan State.
The bigger question is whether Saban would be willing to take an advisory role with another organization after remaining closely tied to Alabama since his retirement.
For now, Saban appears content with his post-coaching life in Tuscaloosa. But that clearly hasn't stopped others from trying to poach him.
