The same reason why Dallas Cowboys and Deion Sanders look like the perfect fit is why it probably won't happen
The Dallas Cowboys and Deion Sanders. It almost makes too much sense, doesn't it? Jerry Jones and the NFL legend know how to build a show around a football team and at times, it feels like a priority for each of them. On Monday night, reports emerged on Sanders being considered a "top candidate" for the […]
The Dallas Cowboys and Deion Sanders. It almost makes too much sense, doesn't it? Jerry Jones and the NFL legend know how to build a show around a football team and at times, it feels like a priority for each of them.
On Monday night, reports emerged on Sanders being considered a "top candidate" for the Cowboys' head coaching job, which sent the NFL world into a frenzy.
Sanders making the jump to the NFL has seemed like a longshot for a good while as he's settled in in Colorado and built plans for the long-term, even flipping key recruits to head to Boulder.
But leaving for the Cowboys? From Sanders' point of view, it's easy to see why the possibility seems very attractive. The high-profile nature of the job is a perfect fit for him, who loves the attention and to a degree, builds his culture around it.
The fact that both Sanders and the Cowboys love the attention is the exact reason why they seem like the perfect fit. But it's also the same reason why it probably won't happen.
The more I think about the potential pairing, I can't help but think the probability that this is nothing but a play for attention from each side is absolutely more than zero.
Think about it: Are the Cowboys really going to pay Sanders' $8 million buyout from Colorado plus pay him what he'll demand for a contract? Is it a coincidence that the reporting around the news was all about "mutual interest" and "they'll stay in touch" instead of having a formal interview scheduled? And the news broke during Monday Night Football?
All I'm saying is color me skeptical about the whole thing. Jones and Sanders are well-known buddies and we all know they have affinity for the spotlight.
Now, what's behind such a play for attention? For Jones, the answer is obvious. The Cowboys are dominating headlines and are being paired with a beloved franchise legend.
"Keep 'em talking," Jones says on Netflix's trailer for a documentary centering around the Cowboys owner. "It's a soap opera 365 days a year."
The Cowboys talking to Sanders would make for a pretty darn good episode of such a soap opera.
For Sanders, there might be bigger financial implications.
He 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.
Who knows, Jerry Jones might take the riskiest swing he's taken since going for Jimmy Johnson back when he bought the team. He might just change the approach he's taken for so many years now.
But if I had to bet? I don't think the Cowboys are about to break the bank for a coach with no NFL head coaching experience. But darn it, they're going to make sure we talk about it.
