Deion Sanders speculates about Nick Saban's unprecedented retirement: "He's like, 'Darn lineman on the open market now is at least half a million'"

Deion Sanders has always made it known how much he respects Nick Saban as a coach. Since Saban's retirement, there has been a lot of speculation about the reason for the decision. Coach Prime has now given his take on Coach Saban's decision to step away from college football.

In a recent interaction with Robert Griffin III, the Colorado Buffaloes head coach stood by what he earlier said about the changing college sports scene chasing Saban away. He also gave his reasons for why he thinks that is the case.

Sanders opined that the seven-time national champion doesn't need to deal with the headaches related to NIL anymore.

“Old school guys that were built and built their lives on hard work, dedication and treating people right, they don't see this formula working," Sanders said on RG3 and The Ones podcast.

"It still does but they don't have the time. I mean Coach has done some tremendous things in our game. Coach is financially secure times 20. He’s like, 'man I don't need this. A darn lineman on the open market now is at least half a million. I want you to get compensated but play first because you love it. Not the first thing to come out of your mouth is the bag.'”

Coach Saban's career spanned five decades, and he spent 28 years as a head coach on various levels, including the NFL. In the last 17 years, he resurrected the Crimson Tide program and made them a dominant force in college football. He won numerous SEC titles with Alabama and led the team to six national titles.

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What did Deion Sanders say on the day of Nick Saban's retirement?

The college football world was left stunned when Nick Saban announced his decision to step down as the Alabama HC. Many fans and experts reacted to the news in their own way. Deion Sanders also gave his two cents on the matter, saying that the changing landscape of the game chased Saban away.

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“The game has changed so much that it chased the GOAT away. College football let's hold up our mirrors and say HONESTLY what u see," Sanders said on X.

Talking about his decision to step away, Coach Saban cited his health and age as the factors. Whether the NIL era played a role in it or not is up to him to clarify.

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