Buffs Beat

Deion Sanders Reveals If He'd Ever Coach Dallas Cowboys, Work With Jerry Jones

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders was a big NFL rumor for the open Dallas Cowboys coaching job earlier this offseason. Sanders spoke on Wednesday and answered to those wondering if there was any truth to those rumors.

Cory Pappas

Nov 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders (right) talks with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders (right) talks with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
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Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders was in rumors for the vacant Dallas Cowboys coaching job this offseason. Dallas parted ways with coach Mike McCarthy after four seasons and ended up hiring their offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as coach. 

It was thought that Sanders was a potential candidate for the job, but Sanders set the record straight on what happened when he joined The Skip Bayless Show on Wednesday.

Deion Sanders Was Not Offered Cowboys Job 

Jan 27, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; (L to R) Dallas Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones, head coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry J
Jan 27, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; (L to R) Dallas Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones, head coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones speak to the media at a press conference at the Star. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Deion Sanders was asked how close coaching the Cowboys was to becoming a reality and if Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones offered him the job.  

“I’m not going to say it was offered to me. I’m going to say it was an opportunity that could have presented itself and we didn’t go to the next level,” Sanders said. “Jerry was always honest and straight up from day one.”

Sanders and Jones have a long history together as Sanders played for Jones’s Cowboys from 1995 through 1999, winning a Super Bowl and making multiple First-Team All-Pro’s in that time span. Sanders says that Jones was and still has an interest in Sanders becoming the Cowboys coach one day, but for now Sanders is staying put at Colorado. 

“(Jerry Jones) did and he still does (have interest in Sanders as Cowboys coach)…I love him to life,” Sanders said. “The only way I would have done it to be honest with you is I knew it guaranteed I had an opportunity to coach my sons. That's it. Other than than that, why?”

If there was the possibility for Sanders to coach his sons Shilo and Shedeur at the next level in Dallas, it would have been something he would have liked to do. With the Cowboys in the midst of a massive contract with quarterback Dak Prescott, drafting Shedeur Sanders in the first round is not top of mind for Dallas. 

“If I got an opportunity to continue coaching Shilo and Shedeur I would have been ecstatic,” Sanders said. “In Dallas as well? That would have been awesome.” 

MORE: NFL Insider Makes Case For New York Giants To Draft Shedeur Sanders In NFL Draft

MORE: Colorado Buffaloes' Star-Studded Pro Day: Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter Headline

MORE: Buffalo Bills Sign Former Colorado Buffaloes Star As New Weapon For Josh Allen

Two Buffaloes Projected To Go In First Round Of 2025 NFL Draft

Oct 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; University of Colorado Buffaloes football players Shedeur Sanders (L) and Travis Hunter
Oct 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; University of Colorado Buffaloes football players Shedeur Sanders (L) and Travis Hunter (R) watch during the third period between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Two of the top projected picks in the 2025 NFL Draft are Sanders’s former players at both Jackson State and Colorado; quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter. Sanders is coming off of a Big-12 Offensive Player of the Year campaign while Hunter is fresh off winning the 2024 Heisman Trophy. 

Sanders draft projection has fluctuated throughout the first round. There is no real consensus on where he can be expected to land on the opening night of the draft. Some mocks have him going as high as No. 1 overall, while other have him falling the the second half of the first round.

Travis Hunter on the other hand looks to be a lock for a top ten pick and perhaps even a top five pick. 

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Cory Pappas
CORY PAPPAS

Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.

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