Deion Sanders has repeatedly said he is not interested in coaching in the NFL, but the Hall of Fame cornerback also admitted speaking with Jerry Jones about the Cowboys’ job brought intrigue. Despite Sanders attempting to reaffirm his commitment to Colorado shortly after the Jones conversation became public, rumblings about an NFL path persist.
Sanders’ Monday comments pointed to the Big 12 leader staying at the college level, but WFAA’s Ed Werder cautions this might not be a done deal yet. If Jones were to offer Sanders the Dallas job, Werder adds the popular HC would almost definitely accept. Some Sanders associates are also believed to be backing a push from the coach to land this job, and Jones is believed to be “enamored” with the idea of what would be an unorthodox hire.
Arguably the best cornerback in NFL history, Sanders played five seasons with Dallas. After swinging the NFL’s power balance to San Francisco upon signing there in 1994, Sanders’ pivot to Dallas restored Jones’ franchise as the NFL’s premier team via a Super Bowl XXX win. Sanders has maintained a good relationship with the owner and certainly understands the team’s culture. Though, Colorado contract talks are also a central component here.
Sanders is two seasons into a five-year Buffaloes deal, and NFL.com’s Jane Slater reports an extension is potentially on the table. Denver7’s Troy Renck also alludes to a Colorado extension being key in Sanders’ offseason. It would cost roughly $10MM for the Cowboys to get Sanders out of his current Buffaloes contract, per Slater, with that number reducing in future years. Skepticism about Jones paying a buyout also emerged earlier this week, pertaining to Bill Belichick‘s $10MM North Carolina buyout.
This would be a way to create leverage, and the 57-year-old coach certainly has a past maximizing such opportunities — as the 1995 free agency sweepstakes remind. Deion will also see son Shedeur leave his program for the NFL this year. No realistic opportunity to coach his son in the pros, a prospect the former Jackson State HC has said would appeal to him, would exist in Dallas, with Dak Prescott signing the NFL’s most lucrative deal back in September.
The Cowboys’ interest in Sanders is “absolutely real,” according to Slater, and while this is one of the country’s highest-profile coaching jobs, it also features steady Jones influence since the owner doubles as the team’s GM. Jones regularly addresses the media, which other GMs do not do, and has played an omnipresent role during McCarthy and past Dallas HCs’ tenures. Sanders would seemingly enjoy a greater level of autonomy in Boulder.
Jones also asked McCarthy to reduce his staff previously, Slater notes, offering another potential complication. As Sanders does not call plays and has only coached in major college football for two seasons, a high-profile assistant crop may be necessary were Jones to sign off on this. Jones is not known for high payments to coaches.
Steve Sarkisian has come up as a potential NFL option, despite his struggles as Falcons OC in the late 2010s, but Slater adds Jones has not contacted the Texas HC yet. The Cowboys have reached out to their former OC, Kellen Moore, with an official interview request. Moore would be a more conventional hire than Sanders, but the latter obviously would generate considerably more interest in the team. And it does not appear the Sanders-to-Dallas path is closed just yet.
Dak and their 1st round pick to Tenn. Then draft S. Sanders. There will be more than that in the trade for the Titans, but that’s the starter package.
prescott has a no-trade clause
Didn’t know that, thanks.
And a $60 million cap hit.
Den did it. Atlanta will pull the trigger as well on Cousins. If they can make a trade, they deal w/ the cap!
It seems like it would be so difficult for those two to come to an agreement because it would be such an extreme trade and interests may not align.
I think Dak is better than many give him credit for, but if you’re Tennessee, do you really want to take him on? Maybe if they get pick 12 back, a future 1st and a couple more legitimate assets, plus they are able to throw an undesirable contract like Kenneth Murray back to Dallas to somewhat balance out the Dak money they’d be taking on… but I just don’t know that I see either team wanting to do that. Dallas because that’s a ton of assets to give up for Shedeur, who is no sure thing, and Tennessee because that would force them to go into win-now mode when they simply aren’t ready. It would be cool though.
Not happening. Jones is nuts but he’s not this nuts.
Sanders crap may fly at the college level of men who sees him as an idol, but won’t work in the NFL.
And I also don’t see him and Jerry sharing the spot light together very well. Clash of egos.
I remember people saying the same thing about Pete Carroll. “Pete’s rah-rah crap my work in college, but good luck getting grown men to buy-in.” 2 Super Bowl appearances and 1 win later, they stopped saying that.
I remember people saying the same thing about Dan Campbell. Talking to grown men like they’re high school players isn’t going to work.
The Cowboys need a Real GM!!!
That would be issue #1
Of course though, Jerry Jones does not agree with this
As an Eagles fan, please do this.