College football legend Nick Saban has been synonymous with unprecedented levels of success and control at the college level for quite some time.

But the possibility of Saban returning to coach in the NFL in 2024 has set the football world abuzz.

So, here we break down how this hypothetical scenario might look, where it would break in terms of an incomplete chapter in his coaching career, what he stands to gain (and lose) and what his next job might mean for the future of the NFL.

The One Unfilled Part of Saban's Coaching Career

Obviously, Nick Saban has a storied history as a college football coach that should never be questioned. He created a long-lasting legacy for himself in college sports and history with multiple national championships while becoming the king of college football, shaping young talent into gridiron stars.

Despite the accolades, there has been a glaring hole during his coaching career—winning at the NFL level.

Saban's NFL experience was a lukewarm one as he exited the league to return to the collegiate scene, where he had previously coached the Miami Dolphins from 2005 to 2006, as head man for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Even though his college success is undisputed, his underwhelming NFL coaching career is what has garnered interest from fans and analysts over the years.

Reason for a Great Comeback

If Nick Saban ever were, by some stroke of luck, to return to the NFL and have some success in the coaching ranks, it would be among the finest career revivals of any elite coach we've ever witnessed.

That success carries across to the NFL and a triumphant return, where he could turn to his substantial collegiate success and translate that into the pros and rewrite the course of his coaching career, cementing it in history as one of the greatest football minds to have ever coached.

The idea of Saban returning to the NFL to make good might be a myth just too good for football lovers, and for that matter Saban's own legacy of being able to conquer whatever on-field task lies in his way.

Not to mention, a successful NFL revival would be proof of his willingness to evolve, his doggedness and the way he still chases greatness.

Motivations and Challenges

Potential Motivations

The Legacy Factor: Saban wanting to add to his legacy as not just a great coaches in the college ranks, but a truly great and successful coach in the game.

So Long As Winning: The inescapable quest and appeal of mastering the NFL, a place in which he has yet to take his reign with the full essence of his prowess. Personal Fulfillment

Competitive Drive: The chance to prove himself as a coach at the highest level with a test of his preparation and tactics against some of the best football minds on the planet, feeding into his overall competitive spirit.

Potential Challenges

Adaptation to Pro Dynamics — How to move around the more treacherous waters of professional athletes as well as NFL franchises.

Great Expectations: Dealing with the added pressure of the fans, the press and others who demand more in the most competitive marketplace in U.S. sports.

Age and Longevity: Given where Saban is at in his age, combined with how much coaching in the professional ranks can wear on a person's mental and physical well being, the question of longevity will be brought up as a concern.

The Probability of the Event Happening

As appealing and intriguing as it is to wonder about Nick Saban's return to the NFL coaching ranks in the 2024 season, the reality is this has a snowball's chance of happening.

Saban is entrenched at the University of Alabama, where he is on the verge of becoming an icon, and navigating the NFL world is difficult and uncertain enough that this is a fantasy scenario, not necessarily a realistic one.

Also, his age and the enormous time commitment demanded to succeed at the highest level of coaching in the NFL lessens the chance this will happen.

The already unpredictable nature of the sports world means that a lot of things would need to be sorted out for this to become a reality, so, in that sense, it remains unlikely.

How This Affects the NFL Landscape

If Nick Saban were to try and come back and be a successful NFL coach, the ripple effects of that move would touch on so many different branches of the NFL tree.

The impact of his presence in the professional sphere — it would deepen the intrigue, draw greater focus, build narratives that bridge the gap between the collegiate and professional games — would be immense.

On the whole, a potential return to the NFL by Saban could have a lasting impact on coaching culture, the way organizations are structured and even how young players are developed throughout the league.

His history of building successful football programs can push a new way of thinking for NFL teams around building through development and strategy.

The Goat

Ultimately, it's a dynamic, compelling story when taken in context of what Urban Meyer is going through on the sideline in Jacksonville, and it captures the legacy, ambition and relentless thirst for being great.

That however tentative the chances of that eventuating, the potential consequences and the belief of what could be, speaks to why this remains one of the most compelling tales at large in the football community.

It speaks to the attraction, intrigue and rotational circus of storylines that make football the king and queen of all team sports and illuminate the fiery maze through which Saban has himself trod while failing, all the while improving, in the NFL.

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