Cowboys, Deion Sanders start discussions about head coach opening
The Dallas Cowboys‘ opening for head coach hasn’t even been listed on LinkdIn yet, but that hasn’t stopped people from being linked to the job. One such name is farfetched, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter name dropped former tight end Jason Witten on Monday night. A more convential name emerged later in the evening though, one that has been considered for much of the season.
ESPN’s Todd Archer has reported that Jerry Jones and Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders discussed the open position on Monday.
A source said Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and Sanders spoke Monday, and while an interview has not been scheduled, the two are expected to continue their dialogue. Fox Sports first reported the conversation between the two sides.
Sanders was linked to a Cowboys job that was not even open in the fall.
Sanders has spent the last half decade proving his coaching and recruiting chops, first turning HBCU Jackson State into a powerhouse and parlaying that into resurrecting the Buffaloes’ program. A doormat for a long time, it took Sanders just one year to turn a losing team into a 9-4 campaign and a bowl appearance.
His recruiting top talent, including his quarterback son Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, has had a lot to do with it, but Sanders has proven himself to be a no-nonsense leader of young men.
He’s bristled at the idea of coaching millionaire professionals before, so it would be interesting to see if he was seriously considering a move to the pros.
Sanders was a famous two-sport athlete who jined the Cowboys’ circus in the middle of their vaunted run in the 1990s. After winning a Super Bowl with San Francisco in 1994, he joined the Cowboys as the most famous free-agent signing in history at the time and helped Dallas win their third Lombardi trophy in four seasons.
One of the best cornerbacks in league history who also spent time in Major League Baseball, Sanders played on both defense and offense for the Cowboys, much like Hunter did in his time under Sanders’ tutelage.
Sanders has been linked to a potential Cowboys opening for a while and has always enjoyed a high ranking in Cowboys Wire’s weekly regular season replacement rankings.