Paul Finebaum Names Most ‘Underpaid’ Coach In Sports History
Alabama football coach Nick Saban is at around $100 million in career earnings as a head coach. He’s done quite well for himself financially both on and off the field, as he continues to build a resume as the greatest college football coach in history. Paul Finebaum thinks he’s worth way, way more.
This week, Saban re-upped with Alabama on a deal that will take him through the 2028-29 season, expiring on Feb. 28, 2029. It will pay him $8.425 million this year, a number that increase annually. He is also due $800,000 contract completion bonuses at the end of the 2022-25 seasons.
Considering everything that Alabama football’s success brings to the university as a whole, you may be able to argue that he’s worth far more than the $80+ million he’s collected from the school so far. Finebaum certainly thinks so.
“Not only is he the greatest coach of all-time, but he’s still the greatest coach today. He’s making eight or nine million dollars a year. If he was on Wall Street, he’d be making $150 million a year, maybe even more,” Finebaum said on Get Up Tuesday, comparing Saban’s place in football to what he’d be making if he was doing similarly well in the finance game. “He’s the most underpaid, undervalued coach in the history of sports.”
"[Nick Saban is] the most underpaid, undervalued coach in the history of sports."
—@finebaum pic.twitter.com/NtCOSXxweX
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 9, 2021
When asked for his prediction for how Saban will do through the end of this new contract, Finebaum went with a relatively conservative three national titles, joking that Alabama football fans may be mad at him for it. It wouldn’t surprise him if Saban, who turns 70 this fall, keeps things rolling through 80. If anything, he keeps getting better and Alabama continues to dominate year-in and year-out.
“But think about this for a second, Nick Saban’s greatest weakness was his age a couple years ago. When he turns 70 – which he’ll do in October–Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher, Ed Orgeron, everyone was going to use that against him. Now Greeny, think about this on Halloween when Nick Saban turns 70, he’s going to look young all of a sudden.
“He’s going to coach to 77 or 78 or maybe 80 or 90 or who knows what. He has taken that off the table, you cannot use his age against him.”
If Nick Saban isn’t already a lock as the greatest college coach ever, it is hard to believe that he won’t cement it through the end of this decade, and the life of this new contract.
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