Earlier this year, Deion Sanders was floated as a candidate for the Dallas Cowboys’ head coaching job. Sanders said that he spoke to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, but stopped short of admitting to a full, formal interview.
The Cowboys eventually promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach and Sanders went back to Colorado, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggests that may not be the end of the story.
“Short of Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, any other coach who drafts [Deion’s son Shedeur] Sanders better be comfortable with his standing within the organization,” Schefter said on Monday in an ESPN.com article.
“Because if that team struggles and the fan base is calling for a coaching change, speculation will start to swirl about Sanders’ father taking over.”
Sanders agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in Colorado through the 2029 college football season.
He’s also shown a commitment to Colorado football through his aggressiveness in recruiting, addressing many of the issues that plagued the team last year.
Sanders has also been working hard to find his son’s replacement at quarterback. The Buffaloes brought in five-star recruit Julian Lewis this offseason, and they also added former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter in the transfer portal.
We’ve seen college coaches leave for the NFL before – Tom Coughlin, Jimmy Johnson and Pete Carroll are among the most successful examples – but Sanders would be a unique case.
We’ve never seen a father-son coach and quarterback duo in the NFL, and Deion has coached his son at both the high school and college levels.
Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images/Getty Images
Shedeur Sanders is slated to be selected in the first round of this week’s NFL Draft, but there’s a large variance in where many mock drafts expect him to be picked.
Some believe he could be taken in the top ten, while others believe he may have to wait until the middle or back of the first round.
Fit and a path to a starting job will be key for Sanders, who likely expects to start in his first NFL season. Going to a team near the top of the draft will give him that opportunity, but he could also end up learning from a veteran on a more established roster to begin his career.
We’ll see what the future holds for both Deion and Shedeur Sanders as they prepare to navigate the latter’s NFL career.
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