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Odds Released on Where Nick Saban Will Coach in 2021: Giants and Texas Top Contenders But Alabama Heavily Favored

David Golokhov

by David Golokhov in College Football

Updated Mar 11, 2021 · 6:07 AM PST

Nick Saban celebrates
Alabama head coach Nick Saban celebrates victory against Florida after the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Atlanta. Alabama won 52-46. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
  • Nick Saban has been with the Alabama Crimson Tide since 2007; could he be coaching somewhere else next season?
  • If he does leave Tuscaloosa, the New York Giants and Texas Longhorns are favorites to land him
  • See the full list and odds on where Saban could coach football in 2021 within the story below

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has mostly maintained that he wants to stay with the program for the foreseeable future. However, coaches are always coy. Might he be interested in another shot at the NFL?

Odds are out that if he does go back to the NFL, the New York Giants and Houston Texans would be favored to land his services.

What’s the best bet for where he’ll be at the start of the 2021 season?

 Odds on Where Nick Saban Coaches in 2021 Season

Team Odds
Alabama -5000
New York Giants +900
Texas +1500
West Virginia +1600
Jacksonville Jaguars +2500
Atlanta Falcons +2500
Detroit Lions +2500
New York Jets +2500
Chicago Bears +2500
Auburn +10000

Odds taken Sep 2nd

Saban Leads Social Injustice March on Monday

On Monday, Saban dozens of members from his football team and staff for a march on social injustice. While it was a short march around the school’s campus, it was important because Saban showed his understanding and empathy for a matter that is very important to his black players and staff members.

Saban continues to show strong ties to the area and the school, which he’s been at since 2007. However, 13 years with one program is a long time and there are some rumors – however small – that he might be in the mood for a little bit of change.

Can Alabama Innovate?

One of the main reasons why Saban might try to return to the NFL is if he becomes less effective on the college level. We’ve seen a little bit of that in recent years where some people are wondering if he’s become a little bit outdated with his style of play.

Going back to the National Championship Game in 2019, the Clemson Tigers beat Crimson Tide by a score of 44-16. We don’t often see Saban’s teams get pummelled like that. Last season, Alabama lost to LSU at home and to Auburn on the road, so they didn’t even qualify for the College Football Playoff.

Is it possible that Saban has lost his touch? Maybe. What’s more likely is that Clemson just has their number of late, and that Saban had to survive without Tua Tagovailoa for much of last season.

His teams are still producing tons of NFL talent and the defenses are still ferocious. However, if the team falls short of lofty expectations this year, you never know what he’ll do.

Giants Favored to Land Saban Among NFL Teams

It’s a bit odd for me to see the Giants as the team that’s favored to land Saban if he jumped to the NFL. After all, they just hired a new head coach this year. Would they really fire Joe Judge after just one season of play?

Of course, in the NFL, anything is possible. Coaches have such short leashes these days.

At the same time, I think that’s probably a bit of a stretch given the Giants recent track record. The Giants had Ben McAdoo for less than two seasons in 2016 and 2017, then they had Steve Spagnuolo finish out four games after McAdoo was fired.

Pat Shurmur lasted for just two seasons and now they will give a shot with another member of the Belichick coaching tree in Judge.

They haven’t had any consistency on the sidelines since Tom Coughlin left in 2015, and making another change – just after one season – would only add to that chaos.

On top of that, think of it from quarterback Daniel Jones’ perspective, who is now the franchise’s centerpiece. Firing Judge and bringing in Saban would mean Jones would be on his third coach in three seasons.

To me, the Giants seem like an unlikely fit here.

Bears Seems More Likely

If I was to bet on Saban jumping up to the NFL, the Chicago Bears makes more sense. The Bears are in a make-or-break year with Matt Nagy, and if he can’t deliver, they might decide to move on from him. If he does get canned, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is likely going with him too.

If that’s the case, that could potentially give Saban a completely clean slate to work with on a team that has plenty of talent. He wouldn’t be walking into a complete rebuild. To me, this is the option that makes the most sense if you think he’s leaving Alabama and there’s value at +2500.

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What’s the Best Bet?

While I wouldn’t lay -5000 here, I don’t see Saban leaving Alabama for the 2021 season. I actually think the COVID-19 pandemic is a factor here as it will continue to linger for a while.

Remember, coaching changes for the 2021 season will happen early in the year, so Saban would have to make the decision early in the winter.

Given the stability, the salary of $8.6 million per year and the level of respect he has now, I can’t see him leaving all of that during the pandemic to take a shot again with the NFL. I could see him going at a later date – maybe a couple of years down the road – but I can’t see that happening in 2021.

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