Deion Sanders says Sean Payton one of the best coaches of all time

Buffs coach is rooting for the Payton and the Broncos

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Deion Sanders is excited to have Sean Payton close to him. The Colorado Buffaloes coach admits he hasn't been able to sneak away to see the Denver Broncos at Training Camp in Dove Valley, but says the longtime coach will do well in his new role.

"Sean Payton is a good friend of mine," Sanders said at CU Media Day on Friday. "He's one of the best coaches to ever walk the sidelines."

Sanders comes into a situation similar to Payton. Both coaches are fairly new to Colorado and they had few ties to the Centennial State prior to taking jobs right down the interstate from each other. They've both enjoyed downtime as TV commentators and found a way back to coaching as well.

Outside of a few currently employed by the New York Jets, Payton hasn't dealt with the amount of criticism that Prime has endured over the past eight months. Sanders believes Payton will lead the Broncos back into the playoffs, which hasn't happened in eight years.

"He's going to do phenomenal things over there," Sanders said. "I can't wait to see. I haven't seen him. We haven't seen one another. He was a blessing to me."

Payton and the Broncos open the 2023-24 regular season at home with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 10. It would be a perfect game for Sanders to make a cameo at after CU faces Nebraska in Boulder the day prior.