Few specifically know how much Patriots coach Bill Belichick, the highest paid coach in the NFL, makes. There’s a belief in some league circles that he makes $12.5 million per year.
Whatever he makes, Belichick now has competition from the college ranks: Nick Saban will make $11.15 million this year at Alabama.
Closer inspection of the convoluted contractual details shows that Saban won’t earn that much on average through 2024, the life of the deal. His base pay technically drops under the new deal from $6.9 million per year to $6.725 million. But bonuses and other inducements add to the haul.
Setting aside the argument that some of the money that goes to Saban should go to players, basic economics always will drive what a head coach earns. And with Saban among the best coaches ever to coach any sport at any level, he’s worth whatever anyone will pay him. Chances are an NFL team would pay him even more, if he wanted to return to the next level and try to remove one of the only blemishes on an otherwise stellar record.
