National Football League

What everyone has said about Deion Sanders potentially being the Cowboys head coach

Published Jan. 16, 2025 1:02 p.m. ET

Should the Cowboys go all-in on Deion Sanders as the next head coach in Dallas?

The two-time Super Bowl champion and former Cowboys cornerback's name began to circulate as the next potential head coach even before it was confirmed he had recently spoken with owner and general manager Jerry Jones.

While Coach Prime in recent months has said he plans to stay in Boulder with the Colorado Buffaloes, he recently admitted the talks with Jones were "intriguing." According to FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz, Sanders is considered a top candidate to fill the vacancy, though the Cowboys plan to interview other coaches as part of the process to replace Mike McCarthy.

With his son, Shedeur, expected to be a top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, many believe Prime could be persuaded to follow him to the pros. Until any news is official, we're rounding up the latest thoughts on whether Deion Sanders would be a good fit in Dallas from FOX Sports' personalities, former and current players and Coach Prime himself.

Deion Sanders on heading to the NFL

Jan. 13: "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."

Jan. 8: "The only way I would consider [coaching in the NFL] is to coach my sons," Sanders said on "Good Morning America."

Nov. 12: The Buffaloes coach was asked on FS1's "Speak" if he plans to get involved if the "wrong organization" tries to draft his son, who is expected to be a top pick in 2025.

Sanders' response: "Yeah, but I'm not gonna do it publicly. I'll do it privately."

Current and former Cowboys players

Micah Parsons

Jan. 14: "We don't know who's getting what, there's been a lot of speculation. Former players mentioned like Prime Time (Deion Sanders), [Jason] Witten. But at the end of the day, speculation is speculation. We're going to wait to see who gets hired, who's gonna be our DC, our OC," the star pass-rusher said on his podcast.

CeeDee Lamb

Jan. 14: Though Lamb didn't say anything publicly about Sanders, the Cowboys' top receiver offered his opinion in another way.

Troy Aikman

Jan. 13: "I do think the Cowboys are obviously a high-profile team. Whoever is the head coach of that team is certainly going to draw a lot of attention, but I think most football people that take over as a head coach, they want to do it on their terms and that’s hard to do," the former Cowboys quarterback said on ESPN.

"I love the Dallas Cowboys. I played there for 12 years. I wish them well. To say that it’s a coveted job, I’m not sure I would necessarily agree with that."

Nov. 19: "I would never bet against Deion, but my hope is that McCarthy is back coaching this team," he told FOX 4 in Dallas.

Michael Irvin

Jan. 14: Sanders' former teammate and co-host of "Speak" has been advocating for him to be the next Cowboys head coach for a while. Irvin said he had spoken to Sanders, who wouldn't reveal much other than Sanders confirmed he had spoken to Jones.

"That means good conversations are being had," Irvin said. He then added:

"If you're not considering [Sanders], you're not doing your job totally. And Jerry, when you think about what Deion did at the HBCU. If you think about what Deion did at Colorado. Think about what they were before he got there and what it is now. Who would not want that in their organization?"

Is Michael Irvin’s vision for Deion Sanders coaching the Dallas Cowboys finally coming to reality? | Speak

FOX Sports' personalities weigh in

Colin Cowherd, "The Herd"

"You have to accept if you coach the Dallas Cowboys, you have to deal with Jerry's ego and Jerry's need for constant attention. And, Deion gets attention. He'll make them fascinating. Do I think he's the best coach on the market? Well, we don't know? He's coached small college football and Colorado, which is sort of like small college football."

"But, when you have dysfunction in ownership, you will always hit that ceiling, and that's what Dallas has. So, Deion makes them interesting … They're not relevant on the field now … . I don't know how it'll go. I don't have a crystal ball. Could be a disaster, could be great, but relevant, interesting, absolutely."

LeSean McCoy, "The Facility"

"I think Prime Time is the perfect guy for this job, right? It’s like some guys are made for the big lights. Dallas, I hate to say it, but they’re big lights. Dallas Cowboys head coach? I think he'd be the perfect dude because now players can relate to him. And, sometimes, players can't really relate to these head coaches.

"That's what made Andy Reid so special. I know we talked about the X's and O's Andy Reid, and the way he develops his quarterbacks and the team is so disciplined. But the other part of it, the biggest part, is that players can relate to him. No matter what your background is, your race is, where you come from, right? He does a good job of managing people, and when you manage people and players, you get more respect."

Deion Sanders and Cowboys reportedly discussed head coaching vacancy | The Facility

"I think Prime Time is that. Another thing is we talking about selling tickets now. Jerry loves to make some money. You ain't gonna sell no tickets when Prime Time is your coach? … The most important thing is he’s a winner. He's been a winner all his life as a player."

Emmanuel Acho, "The Facility"

"You got to go all in. I worked for the Cowboys for two years immediately upon retiring in the NFL. And I think people have it confused about Jerry Jones. Jerry Jones wants to, number one, sell tickets and be the biggest brand in all of sports. And then number two, he wants to win a Super Bowl."

"Deion Sanders is the biggest name in sports. The Cowboys are the biggest brand in sports. You combine the biggest name and the biggest brand, you get what Jerry Jones wants. It makes all the sense in the world."

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, "The Facility"

"I heard Jordan Schultz just say it's a prestigious and coveted job … the Cowboys is a dead end job. And I'm gonna just take you through the history. … Who was the head coach before Mike McCarthy? Jason Garrett. Did he get another job after that? No. Who was the head coach before Jason Garrett? Wade Phillips. Did he get another job after that? Who was a head coach before Wade Phillips? [Bill] Parcells. Did he get another job after that? The Cowboys job is a dead end job."

"It's a thankless job. Like when the Cowboys win, who get all the credit? The owner. When the Cowboys lose, who takes all the blame? The coach. Why would I want to go coach the Cowboys? Because if I leave, I'm probably done as a head coach in the National Football League. And if we win, Jerry Jones did a great job with the roster. Man, I don't want to coach the Cowboys. Why would I if I’m Prime?"

Chris Broussard, "First Things First"

"I don't like it. I love it. I want Deion in Dallas. All right, all in."

Should Jerry Jones go all in to make Deion Sanders the Dallas Cowboys’ next head coach? | First Things First

"Deion needs to be the voice of the team. He needs to be the face of the franchise. Jerry will still get credit if they win anything because he brought Deion in. But that's what all-in means to me. Go get Deion Sanders. …

"The X's and O's can put together a staff. So I think this is great. I just hope Jerry will step out of the way a little bit and let Deion be the man."

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