Just mere hours after the news came down that the Dallas Cowboys and head coach Mike McCarthy would not be agreeing to a new contract extension, reports have already started to swirl about Deion Sanders being a potential replacement.
Currently the head coach at the University of Colorado, Sanders spent a sizable chunk of his Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys. After a short stint as the head coach at Jackson State, Sanders turned the Buffaloes program around over the past two seasons, taking them to a bowl game this year.
Multiple NFL insiders have reported that conversations have already taken place between Sanders and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones:
Deion Sanders has long publicly dismissed any interest in coaching in the NFL — but this was one call he wasn’t going to ignore. Sanders is listening, and talks are expected to continue as Jerry Jones explores the possibility of bringing Coach Prime to the NFL, per multiple… https://t.co/D9z3OYqWF4 pic.twitter.com/iN0vPLOwgk
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 14, 2025
So, could this really happen?
Of course it can.
Jerry Jones loves to make a splash, and while Sanders might not leave the college ranks for just any NFL job, the Cowboys are clearly among the select few that appear worthy of his interest.
The pure entertainment value of that kind of move would be incredible, but it’s hard not to think about the domino effect it could have on the rest of the offseason for the Cowboys, and even the rest of the league.
Imagine this: Sanders takes over as the Cowboys’ head coach, and with Jones still in place as the general manager in charge of personnel moves, tells his new hire that he’ll make whatever moves he deems necessary to put together the team he wants to coach. Would would be surprised if that starts with massive trades in the 2025 NFL Draft to make sure he gets his hands on two former Buffs?
Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner after starring for Colorado on both sides of the ball, is expected to be a top-five pick in April. Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, is widely regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s class, and one of the few worthy of a first-round pick.
Travis Hunter (12) and Shedeur Sanders (2) are both expected to be early first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
You think Deion wouldn’t do whatever it takes to make sure those two guys end up on his Cowboys roster, his son as the new franchise quarterback, and Hunter as his two-way weapon once again?
That would obviously lead to a trade that would send Dak Prescott elsewhere, and who knows what Sanders (and Jones) would be willing to give up to make sure Dallas moved up high enough in the draft to leave the first round with both Hunter and Shedeur.
The Cowboys currently own the No. 12 overall pick in the first round, and would have to move up into the top five to have a shot at Hunter. From there, they’d have to acquire an additional first-rounder to get Shedeur, and that might also have to be a top-five selection.
Can you fathom what would happen in the NFL world if Sanders gets hired by Jones, and then trades Prescott and who knows what else to land multiple top-five picks, bringing his two star players from Boulder to Dallas as his franchise players?
Who knows what will happen in the coming weeks, but this entire scenario would be must-see TV for “America’s Team.”
