Deion Sanders finally gets what everyone thought he was plotting for when linked to the Dallas Cowboys head coaching job
Well, well, well. Deion Sanders is getting his long-awaited payday from Colorado, as he finally gets what everyone thought he was plotting for when he emerged as a head coaching candidate for the Dallas Cowboys in January. According to Brian Howell from Daily Camera, "Colorado’s board of regents have approved a new 5-yr, $54 million contract […]
Well, well, well. Deion Sanders is getting his long-awaited payday from Colorado, as he finally gets what everyone thought he was plotting for when he emerged as a head coaching candidate for the Dallas Cowboys in January.
According to Brian Howell from Daily Camera, "Colorado’s board of regents have approved a new 5-yr, $54 million contract for head coach Deion Sanders that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country."
With the news, Sanders is doubling his previous salary. The increased pay was expected given his work in Colorado building a winning football team and gaining national attention for the university.
In a way, the news ties back to the reported "mutual interest" between the Cowboys and Sanders that was reported on in January. At the time, I was skeptical about that pairing ever happening and wrote about it, suggesting for Sanders, it could be a ploy to gain leverage over Colorado:
(Sanders) could use any leverage he can get as possible extension talks loom in the horizon with him and Colorado. His current deal pays him almost $6 million per year plus incentives and bonuses but an extension might turn him into one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. It wouldn't hurt for him to show the University he'd consider the NFL if the right opportunity were to come across his desk.
The contract numbers revealed for Sanders also illustrates how complicated signing him would've been. Mike McCarthy was reportedly paid near the $4 million per year range and it's unlikely Brian Schottenheimer's compensation is much higher given the lack of interest in him around the league.
Having a coach making a double-digit salary is something that would've strongly deviated from the way the Cowboys have done things for years. Consider how Jones has allowed his coaches to run out their deals before firing them in an effort to avoid to buy out their deals. It's no coincidence Jason Garrett and McCarthy both left on expiring deals instead of being fired.
For the Cowboys, all that matters nowadays is Schottenheimer, who put together an impressive staff around him and seeks to shock the NFL world with a strong performance from his team.
