Two months after his surprise decision to retire as Alabama's head football coach, Nick Saban has provided some new insight into what led him to walk away.

Speaking to ESPN's Chris Low, Saban lamented that his message to the players wasn't connecting in the way that it used to:

"I thought we could have a hell of a team next year, and then maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I'm going to play because they're thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me? Our program here was always built on how much value can we create for your future and your personal development, academic success in graduating and developing an NFL career on the field.

"So I'm saying to myself, 'Maybe this doesn't work anymore, that the goals and aspirations are just different and that it's all about how much money can I make as a college player?' I'm not saying that's bad. I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying that's never been what we were all about, and it's not why we had success through the years."

Saban did note those things weren't the reason he retired, but they were contributing factors in his decision.

Low also highlighted Saban had "grown weary" of having to replace multiple assistants on his staff every year because Alabama coaches tended to be very popular for jobs around the country.

The Crimson Tide had five different offensive coordinators and four different defensive coordinators from 2017 to '23.

Saban told Low in recent years coaches being hired wanted assurances he was "going to be here for three or four years, and it became harder to make those assurances" because of his age.

Ever since the NCAA adopted the name, image and likeness policy in June 2021, it has been a controversial topic among football coaches. Saban expressed enthusiasm for it in 2022, saying he was "all for the players" being able to make money.

Coaches have put the blame on NIL and the transfer portal as the biggest reasons for roster instability.

This is, in some ways, just a correction in favor of players after coaches were able to leave one job they promised to stay at for years to land elite recruits. Now, coaches face the difficult challenge of trying to keep an entire recruiting class together and make all of the returning players happy if there's not enough playing time available.

Low said in the wake of Saban's retirement announcement in January it was a decision he arrived at because trying to do everything that being Alabama's head coach entails was becoming increasingly difficult now that he is 72 years old.

There are no underlying health issues for Saban so much as it was just a case of exhaustion at this stage of his life. He finished his career with a 201-29 record and six national titles in 17 seasons at Alabama.