‘A big splash hire’ – How close did Deion Sanders come to coaching in the NFL and did he blow his best chance?

Will Deion Sanders make his way back to the NFL?

There were murmurs in the offseason that Coach Prime was flirting with Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys to become the next head coach of America’s Team.

That, of course, didn’t end up happening, as Jones promoted Brian Schottenheimer to lead his team, with Sanders staying put at Colorado.

He is now in his third season at the helm in Boulder, and it’s fair to wonder if he will ever jump ship to the professional ranks or if he’s content at the collegiate level.

Should Sanders have struck while the iron was hot, coming off of a nine-win season and seriously pursued the NFL? Did he miss his best chance?

“I think he’d have to have higher level college success than he’s had in order to be an NFL head coach candidate,” ESPN’s NFL insider Dan Graziano told talkSPORT.

“His name came up a couple of different places last year.

“I don’t think it’s any coincidence that he shortly thereafter got a contract extension from Colorado, right? 

“That may have been part of the plan. I think if he were to have success, because he’s been a program builder, right? 

“He went to Jackson State and built that up. He went to Colorado and built it up into something more certainly than it was when he got there. NFL teams look for that. 

“It’s Deion Sanders. He knows the NFL. It’s a big splash hire if you were to make it, but I don’t hear a ton on that.

“I think in order to get on that radar screen, in a meaningful way, he probably has to win at a fairly high level at Colorado.”

Getty

Getty

Sanders arrived at Colorado in 2023 and went 4-8 in his first season. The following year, he finished 9-4, and 25th in the polls.

He was the head coach at Jackson State for three seasons before that, going 4-3, 11-2 and 12-1 in subsequent years.

Sanders has shown he is a program builder and he has multiple stops to show for it – but the next step is turning his team into a serious contender, or moving to a championship contender.

The football program in Boulder was in disarray before Sanders showed up and there’s no question that he’s changed the culture in his short time there.

He had the best player in college football on his team the last two seasons in Travis Hunter, and his son Shedeur Sanders, who was one of the best quarterbacks in the country as well.

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He now has to prove that he can win without his two top talents.

If Sanders is able to reach double-digit wins in his third season at the helm in Boulder, he might find his phone ringing a lot come January.

Not only from the NFL ranks but also from the higher-profile college jobs. Take a peek at Kalen DeBoer’s seat temperature at Alabama. Or Brent Venables’ at Oklahoma?

Would Sanders pursue a top-level SEC job before he jumps to the NFL? Possibly.

The season isn’t even a week old, yet the Sanders speculation will begin to rise with every win that Prime Time notches.