Colorado coach Deion Sanders has been rumored to several different jobs over the last few months, none more prominent than the Dallas Cowboys.

Oklahoma State v Colorado / Andrew Wevers/GettyImages

The speculation about Deion Sanders potentially leaving his post at Colorado to coach in the NFL took an interesting turn recently when Rex Ryan chimed in with his thoughts.

Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Ryan didn’t hold back his belief that Sanders could be a real candidate to take the reins of the Dallas Cowboys if the job becomes available.

“Deion Sanders may be in play here,” Ryan said. “They need something. They need to have somebody that has the pride in that organization. Being a Dallas Cowboy, the pride you take in it, and by the way, Deion everywhere he’s been has been kicking you know what.”

It’s a bold statement, but Ryan’s comments are rooted in some undeniable truths. Sanders is already a legend in Dallas, not just for his Hall of Fame playing career but for the swagger and electricity he brought to the Cowboys during their glory years. That kind of larger-than-life personality could be exactly what Jerry Jones is looking for if the team decides to part ways with its current head coach.

While Sanders has repeatedly stated that he plans to stay at Colorado, his impact in Boulder has naturally made him a hot commodity. He turned a struggling program into a team that can compete on the national stage, all while attracting massive attention to college football. If Sanders can revamp Colorado’s football program so quickly, imagine what he could do for America’s Team.

However, even as talks are heating up, Sanders is continuing to cool them back down.

FS1 analyst Joel Klatt revealed a recent conversation in which Sanders explained why he’s not interested in the NFL:

“I don’t feel like I would be fulfilling my calling and my purpose if I was there,” Sanders reportedly told Klatt. “My calling is to impact young men and be a mentor to young men. I happen to do that through coaching. And I feel like I can do that better at the college level than I could with a bunch of professionals that might listen to me and might not.”

Still, Ryan’s point about Sanders’ ties to the Cowboys can’t be ignored. Sanders won a Super Bowl with Dallas and remains one of the team’s most iconic figures. His ability to bring pride and a winning mentality to an organization matches what Ryan believes the Cowboys need right now.

Whether Sanders entertains the idea of coaching in the NFL or sticks to his stated commitment to Colorado remains to be seen. For now, he’s focused on building the Buffaloes into a long-term powerhouse. But as long as his name keeps coming up in discussions about the Cowboys, it’s a storyline that’s hard to ignore.

After all, in football, anything is possible.