NFL insider addresses wild Nick Saban, Cowboys idea

Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and current college football analyst Greg McElroy generated headlines when he recently revealed that a person "in the know" believes there's a chance that legendary college head coach Nick Saban could return to the sidelines as soon as next year. 

During Wednesday's edition of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" program, the Fox Sports personality asked NFL insider Albert Breer if Saban would at least consider becoming head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2026 if Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones parts ways with first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer after a single season. 

"It makes some sense for sure," Breer said about Cowherd's idea, as shared by Reice Shipley of Awful Announcing. "...He could come in there and really go into a place that’s set up for a strong coach. And it’s interesting because I think the one thing about Dallas that people misunderstand is, yes, Jerry’s involved in football. But the coach is involved in scouting, too. Like, the coach is involved in putting the team together."

There are several reasons to believe that Saban taking over in Dallas doesn't make sense. For starters, he turns 74 years old in October, and McElroy directly said he believes Saban is "completely fulfilled with what he's doing" as an analyst and ESPN personality. 

Additionally, previous reports indicated that the Cowboys promoted Schottenheimer from his role as offensive coordinator because quarterback Dak Prescott wanted "continuity." Prescott signed a four-year contract extension reportedly worth $240M with $231M guaranteed last September, and Dallas likely can't escape that deal anytime soon. 

When the Cowboys were linked with Bill Belichick in January 2024, some commentators suggested that Jones wouldn't want to share the "spotlight" with such a big-name head coach. Breer wondered if Jones would be "willing to take a backseat" to Saban, but Breer also added that the seven-time national champion coach could at least accept a call made by Jones this coming January. 

"I just think if you want to line the whole thing up and say he needs to go to a brand name, you know, he needs to go to one of the flagship franchises, the part of the country that it’s in and the way they’re set up, I could see Saban working in Dallas," Breer explained.

For what it's worth, Breer added that he believes "Schottenheimer is going to do a better job than most people do." One can't help but wonder how Jones will respond if Breer is wrong and Saban hints that he could be interested in coaching "America's Team" for even a few years.