Deion Sanders is always the kind of name that will garner attention from other spots with potential job offers. Sanders has earned that following a 9-4 season with the Buffs in 2024, and the rumors are flying from all directions as the offseason heats up.
Last week, Sanders’ name was popping up around the Las Vegas Raiders opening, but it was later reported that the Raiders have “no interest” in pursuing the Colorado head coach for their opening.
Now, the Dallas Cowboys have reportedly come calling. Just hours after Jerry Jones announced that the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy are going their separate ways, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Jones and Sanders had spoken about the opening and that discussions would continue in the coming days.
Monday night, Sanders delivered a comment surrounding the rumors and reaffirmed his love for Boulder, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it’s intriguing,” Sanders said. “I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it’s intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community.”
McCarthy’s contract with the Cowboys expires Tuesday night, and the two sides have been unable to come to terms on an extension. Now, the Cowboys have started their search for their next head coach, and Sanders is seemingly high up on that list.
While Sanders’ comments are reassuring for Colorado fans, it is hardly a denial of his interest in the job. Of course, the possibility of a contract extension for Sanders at CU has been a hot topic this offseason. As it stands, Sanders has three years left on his current deal that is paying him an average of just under $6 million per year, but he has far outperformed that AAV so far.
On the other side of things, the Cowboys present an attractive, big market destination for Sanders if he does want to make the NFL leap. He played for the Cowboys for five seasons and has spoken about his love for Jerry Jones on multiple occasions, including in Monday’s comments.
The big hangup with the possible Cowboys move is obvious. Sanders said during a recent appearance on Good Morning America that he would only leave for the NFL if he had a chance to coach his sons, putting emphasis on the fact that it would have to be both Shedeur and Shilo.
Getting Shilo Sanders to Dallas will be very doable. He is currently projected to be a late-round draft pick at best, so the Cowboys could easily scoop him up on Day 3 of the draft. Getting Shedeur Sanders to America’s Team will be much more difficult.
The Cowboys currently have the No. 12 pick in the upcoming draft, so they will almost surely have to trade up to select the Colorado quarterback. That will be an expensive move to get ahead of the many QB-needy teams at the top of the draft, which is a massive commitment for Jones to make.
The more complicated portion of the proceedings is what would happen to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Jones just signed Prescott to a four-year, $240 million contract before the 2024-25 season and it will be very difficult for Dallas to move that deal.
If Prescott is traded before June 1, the Cowboys will have to eat a cap hit of more than $100 million. If they can hold onto him and move him after that deadline, they can split that cap hit over two seasons, but it is still a steep price to pay. Prescott also has a full no-trade clause in his deal, allowing him to veto any trade that the Cowboys want to make. Would he agree to a trade to Tennessee or Cleveland? That feels unlikely.
The rumors of Sanders bolting to Dallas will likely continue in the coming days, but the amount of hoops that the Cowboys have to jump through to get the deal done combined with Sanders’ reassuring comments on Monday night should give Colorado fans optimism that he is sticking around for the long haul.
