Last year, when the Colorado Buffaloes took college football by storm via three straight wins, the question emerged as to whether coach Deion Sanders was destined for the NFL.
At the time, he consistently said he wouldn’t jump to the next level. Then, Deion’s team cooled off considerably. By the end of the season, there would have been no NFL interest in Deion, even if he wanted it.
This year, the Buffaloes are hotter than they ever were in 2023 — and so are Deion’s NFL prospects, again. ESPN’s Rex Ryan recently made the case for Deion to take over the Cowboys. Other owners who have done a lot worse with the traditional hiring process could consider Deion.
If, as Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi believes, owners and General Managers want to win the introductory press conference, Deion could do it.
Deion has yet to revisit whether he’d take an NFL job. If he could finagle a package deal that would allow him to coach his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, maybe Deion would be interested. (Heck, maybe Deion could land Travis Hunter, too.)
Of course, any desire to work with Shedeur would rule out the Cowboys, who have made a massive, multi-year commitment to Dak Prescott. Other teams could be in play. Jets, Raiders, Saints, to name a few.
Last year, many believed Deion would thrive in the NFL. Then, after the Buffaloes limped to a 1-8 finish, the luster faded.
It’s now coming back. And, again, Deion will bring excitement and sell tickets and —who knows? — he might perform better as an NFL head coach than anyone ever expected.
One thing’s for sure. He can’t do much worse than some of the guys who have been elevated through the usual method for hiring NFL head coaches.
November is the month when owners who plan to change coaches start planning their looming searches in earnest. It’s not crazy to think that some of them will put Deion’s name on the list.
