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Nick Saban agreed to a new contract Friday.

(Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — The tag of highest coach in college football isn't new for Nick Saban.

His $5.5 million paycheck last year topped the list again.

But Saban's new deal pushes him into a whole new stratosphere. The average annual salary will be $7 million for the contract that'll run through the 2020 season, AL.com confirmed.

That pushes him out of competition of the top paying job in college football. Saban is now competing for the highest paycheck in all of American sports — professional and college.

According to Forbes, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton was the top-paid coach in sports this year with an $8 million deal. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, a longtime Saban friend and former employer, is believed to make $7.5 million a year. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid makes the same.

And that would round out the list of coaches who make more than Saban.

Pete Carroll (Seahawks), Jeff Fisher (Rams), Doc Rivers (Los Angeles Clippers) and Mike Shanahan (Redskins) each reportedly make $7 million a year.

Among college coaches, Texas' Mack Brown has the next-highest paycheck. But after the new Saban deal, his $5.93 million deal is a distant second.

Click here for the full list of highest paid coaches Forbes compiled in May.

AL.com reporter Kevin Scarbinsky contributed to this report.