Deion Sanders sends message hours after reports name him top candidate for Dallas Cowboys head coaching job
The Dallas Cowboys and Deion Sanders are mutually interested in a potential reunion that would bring the former NFL legend back to America's Team, this time as head coach, per multiple reports. Sanders is the first head coaching candidate to be tied to the Cowboys but it's still early in the process following Monday's news on […]
The Dallas Cowboys and Deion Sanders are mutually interested in a potential reunion that would bring the former NFL legend back to America's Team, this time as head coach, per multiple reports.
Sanders is the first head coaching candidate to be tied to the Cowboys but it's still early in the process following Monday's news on Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones parting ways with each other after a 7-10 season.
Sanders being a "top candidate," as insider Jordan Schultz described him on Monday upon reporting the news, is certainly a surprise considering how expensive he could end up being when considering an $8 million buyout, not to mention the fact that it could be a play from Sanders to gain leverage in Colorado, where he's been expected to stay long term for a while now.
Sanders sent a message reacting to the reports of his speaking to Dallas on Monday night.
“To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it’s intriguing,” Sanders told ESPN. "I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it’s intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community.”
Though Sanders claimed his love for Boulder, his message is certainly non-committal one way or the other, a reminder of how early it is in the process. Getting a deal done with Sanders would imply much larger compensation from what the Cowboys paid McCarthy, as I described in an earlier post:
Not to mention, the NFL legend has grown his brand in a pretty unique way. His deal with the Buffaloes reportedly pays him $5.9 million per year. That doesn't include bonuses, incentives, and merchandise concessions. Sanders has leverage for a pay raise over the University and an extension would likely happen well before his contract expires.
Buying Sanders out plus signing him to an entirely new deal would be a major pivot from the Cowboys, who paid Mike McCarthy relatively low to his NFL peers at around $4 million per year.
For now, Cowboys Nation should temper its expectations. It's early on and it's hard to decipher how serious the Sanders talk really is. Specially ahead of potential contract extension talk between the coach and Colorado, for which Sanders can benefit from every piece of news to boost his price.
