Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders reacts with an official after a play during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Colorado’s Deion Sanders: Zero interest in coaching ‘pro ball,’ Cowboys

Deion Sanders stayed at Colorado after interest from the Dallas Cowboys in hiring the Hall of Fame cornerback to return the NFL as Mike McCarthy’s replacement.

But the pro game is, well, too “Primetime” for even Sanders these days, he said on “We Got Time Today” on Tubi in a discussion about contact from the Cowboys with Troy Aikman.

“I couldn’t coach pro ball,” Sanders said.

“That’s why I say, I couldn’t coach — I know it was cute. But I couldn’t coach pro ball, because the way they practice, the way they go about it, I couldn’t take it. As a man, and as a football enthusiast, and I care about the game. The game is still providing for Troy and I, so there is no way I could allow that to happen on my watch. That would be tough.”

The sentiment is not new for Sanders. He told “60 Minutes” in 2022 he wouldn’t be interested by any NFL opening. He’s 13-12 in two seasons as head coach at Colorado. The Buffaloes went 9-4 last season and cornerback-wide receiver Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy.

The Cowboys last appeared in a Super Bowl in 1996, a roster that featured Sanders, Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Charles Haley.

“For Dallas, Deion would have been a really good fit because he would have commanded the room, and his personality is such that people would have known that he was in charge,” Aikman said. “And I think that’s important for (the) organization to know that the head coach is the one who’s calling the shots and that he’s in charge.”

Aikman said some of Sanders’ former teammates with the Cowboys are perturbed by owner Jerry Jones not pushing for a formal interview or making Sanders an offer.

“You didn’t need a call from me,” Aikman said. “I was … I was watching, wondering how this whole thing was going to unfold. I will say this: As you know playmaker Michael Irvin is a Cowboy apologist and you not getting an official interview, not being hired, even he, I’m not sure he’s on the train right now.”

Dallas hired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer instead, an in-house promotion for the longtime assistant and son of late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer.

–Field Level Media

Oct 15, 2022; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Owen McCown (7) scrambles in the second quarter against the California Golden Bears at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado QB Owen McCown enters portal following Sanders hire

One day after new coach Deion Sanders made clear who his starting quarterback would be in his first season at Colorado, incumbent quarterback Owen McCown entered the transfer portal on Monday.

McCown played in four games as a freshman and started three, completing 57 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He suffered an abdominal injury during Colorado’s 20-13 overtime win over Cal on Oct. 15 and was not able to return to the field.

That win turned out to be the Buffaloes’ only victory of the season, finishing 1-11 after they fired Karl Dorrell following an 0-5 start. Sanders, the longtime NFL star and former head coach of FCS program Jackson State, accepted the same position at Colorado over the weekend.

At his opening press conference, Sanders introduced his son, Shedeur Sanders, by saying, “And this is your quarterback.” The younger Sanders starred for Jackson State over the past two seasons, racking up 6,614 passing yards and 66 touchdowns.

Deion Sanders’ first meeting with the current team was also filmed.

“I want y’all to get ready to go ahead and jump in the portal and do whatever you’re gonna get because if more of you jump in, the more room you make,” Sanders told players.

“We’ve got a few positions already taken care of because I’m bringing my luggage with me,” he added. “And it’s Louis (Vuitton).”

McCown is the son of Josh McCown and nephew of Luke McCown, two former NFL quarterbacks. He was a three-star prospect coming out of high school.

–Field Level Media

Dec 1, 2022; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes student fans hold signs in reference to Jackson State University head coach Deion Sanders (not pictured) before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Prime deal: Colorado’s offer to Deion Sanders exceeds over $5M per year

Colorado reportedly offered a contract that exceeds $5 million annually to current Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders.

CBS Sports reported Friday that Sanders is expected to leave for another job and is weighing offers from Colorado and Cincinnati.

Jackson State is 11-0 entering the SWAC championship game Saturday against Southern University. Sanders went 11-2 the previous season and is 26-5 in three campaigns as JSU head coach.

Colorado finished the 2022 season 1-11 and fired head coach Karl Dorrell in October after an 0-5 start in which all the losses were by at least 23 points.

CBS reported Sanders can push his annual salary up by 40 percent each season by hitting all of the 12 performance-based escalator clauses in the proposed deal and could “reasonably make $7 million” each year if he hits only a portion of those clauses.

Sanders also talked to Cincinnati, which has focused on big names in a search for Luke Fickell’s replacement. Fickell left to become head coach at Wisconsin.

As part of Dorrell’s buyout, Colorado paid $8.7 million owed by the end of 2022.

–Field Level Media

Jackson State University head coach Deion Sanders walks along the sideline during the Orange Blossom Classic between Florida A&M University and Jackson State University at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021.

Syndication Tallahassee Democrat

Deion Sanders to donate half his salary for Jackson State facility upgrades

Jackson State coach Deion Sanders said Monday he will donate half his salary in order to help complete his program’s football facility renovations before the 2022 season.

Sanders, 54, has coached the HBCU since 2020, when he signed a four-year deal that averages $300,000 per year.

“I’ll put more than that on it. I’ll put half on it to get this done,” Sanders said on Instagram, per the Jackson Clarion Ledger. “If you don’t believe me, check me. I will send you the receipts.”

The FCS program is coming off an 11-2 record (8-0 SWAC) in 2021 and signed top-ranked recruit Travis Hunter, a five-star cornerback, in the Class of 2022.

–Field Level Media