Nick Saban is one of the most accomplished football coaches in history. He’s had success everywhere he’s gone except for his two-year tenure as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Saban retired from Alabama after the 2023 season, and rumors are swirling that he could be interested in an NFL return.
Nick Saban Could ‘Scratch an Itch’ by Returning to the NFL After Storied College Career
Saban won the 2003 national championship with LSU and six more during his 17-year stint at Alabama. In between, he served as the head coach of the Dolphins from 2005 to 2006, but never led them to the playoffs.
Miami finished 9-7 in 2005 and needed a quarterback heading into 2006. Their top two options were Drew Brees and Daunte Culpepper. Brees was coming off a serious shoulder injury sustained during his San Diego Chargers days, and Culpepper was recovering from a significant knee injury with the Minnesota Vikings.
Saban wanted Brees, but Miami’s team doctors didn’t sign off. The team traded for Culpepper, who never fully recovered from the injury. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer was asked about the possibility of Saban returning to the NFL.
“I think the possibility exists that maybe he looks at it and says, ‘If there is a situation where I can win quickly, where there’s a QB, I don’t feel completely satisfied with what happened in Miami 20 years ago,'” Breer said on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
Breer mentioned how Saban’s Dolphins were a popular pick to go to the Super Bowl in 2006, but finished the season 6-10 after Culpepper was benched following a Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans. Brees took the New Orleans Saints to the NFC Championship Game, and Saban bolted for Alabama following that season.
“I think the possibility exists that maybe he looks at it and says, ‘If there is a situation where I can win quickly, where there’s a QB, I don’t feel completely satisfied with what happened in Miami 20 years ago.'”
– @AlbertBreer on the potential of an NFL return for Nick Saban pic.twitter.com/TE9ben0OTw
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 21, 2025
Culpepper ended up on injured reserve, and Saban was forced to play Joey Harrington and Cleo Lemon the rest of the way. Brees went on to be named Super Bowl 44 MVP and Offensive Player of the Year twice in New Orleans, and Saban solidified himself as one of the greatest college coaches ever at Alabama.
The 2006 Dolphins remain Saban’s only losing season as a head coach. He went 7-6 in his first season with the Crimson Tide and finished with 10 or more wins each of his next 16 seasons.
Breer added that Saban has changed his ways after realizing that NFL players were slower to buy into his tough program in Miami. Saban retired from Alabama because of the constantly changing landscape of college football.
An NFL job would allow Saban to focus on coaching and could be the correct move for the 73-year-old. It’s unclear which or how many NFL teams would be interested in Saban, but Breer noted that he’d likely target a veteran team with an established quarterback.
