National Football League

Deion Sanders reportedly has 'strong interest' in Raiders head coaching job

Updated Jan. 11, 2025 1:45 p.m. ET

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The Las Vegas Raiders fired both head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco this week.

Could former NFL star Deion Sanders have his eyes on one of those vacancies?

It's a possibility. Sanders, the current head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, reportedly "has a very strong interest in the [head coaching] job." Sanders' camp has reached out to the Raiders to express interest, but it's unclear if the interest is mutual, according to the report.

The Buffaloes went 9-4 under Sanders this season, which followed a 4-8 campaign in 2023. Sanders was previously the head coach at Jackson State, which went a combined 27-6 under him from 2020-22.

Sanders coached both of his sons, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and safety Shilo Sanders, at Colorado the past two seasons, with the Pro Football Hall of Famer also coaching Shedeur at JSU and in high school. Sanders expressed earlier this week that the "only" way he would coach in the NFL is if he could coach both of his sons. 

The Raiders are coming off a 4-13 season, with the team going a combined 9-17 under Pierce since he took over as interim head coach in 2023 and Telesco being fired after just one season on the job.

Deion Sanders says he would consider the NFL to coach Shedeur and Shilo

Las Vegas has a long-term need at quarterback and owns the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft; Sanders is arguably the best signal-caller in this coming draft. That said, the Tennessee Titans (No. 1), Cleveland Browns (No. 2) and New York Giants (No. 3) also need a long-term QB, so the Raiders would potentially have to trade up for Sanders.

The Raiders have requested head-coaching interviews with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.

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