Titans coach Mike Vrabel calls college football the NFL’s ‘farm system,’ cites Nick Saban’s salary
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Tennessee Titans recently hired Mike Vrabel as their new head coach, introducing him at a press conference on Monday.
Vrabel spoke on a number of topics, including college football, which he called the NFL’s farm system.
The NFL doesn’t have a minor league system like other professional leagues, but Vrabel said coaches like Alabama’s Nick Saban and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer get their players ready for the pros:
Mike Vrabel on how much college scheme will come into play for him: "The NFL has the greatest farm system in the world. We pay those coaches $10 million to be our farm system. Nick Saban is our farm system. Urban Meyer is our farm system."
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 22, 2018
Of course, all that is true, but as many pointed out, the NFL takes advantage of something other sports leagues don’t when it comes to farm systems — free labor:
Quite the cost of labor. #zero https://t.co/GmwQifyLBB
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) January 22, 2018
Though NBA G League players and Minor League Baseball players aren’t paid much, they do at least draw salaries, while college football players don’t.
That’s unlikely to change anytime soon, so coaches like Saban will continue to serve as the people who must get players ready for a huge step in their careers — a step that will allow them to start drawing a salary.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
