National Football League

Why Cowboys should go all-in for Deion, Shedeur Sanders despite Dak Prescott's contract

Published Nov. 19, 2024 4:20 p.m. ET

The Dallas Cowboys' 2024 season is in free fall. Dallas lost to the Houston Texans on Monday night to drop to 3-7 on the season, and an in-season turnaround appears to be unlikely with quarterback Dak Prescott out for the year, leaving Mike McCarthy's status as the Cowboys' head coach uncertain.

As the Cowboys will likely finish the year with a losing record and potentially one of the worst records in the league, Colin Cowherd believes they have to hit the reset button in a major way. Not only does he think they should hire former star cornerback and current University of Colorado coach Deion Sanders to replace Mike McCarthy as head coach, but he also believes that the team should draft quarterback Shedeur Sanders, too.

And one of Sanders' fellow Cowboys legends — and his close friend — believes it could happen.

"I believe 100% and I can tell you, good sources have told me that," Michael Irvin said when asked on "The Herd" if he thought Deion Sanders would be willing to go to the Cowboys if the team drafted Shedeur Sanders.

"Great sources have told me that. That's all I can say like that without violating anything else."

Deion Sanders has recently become a coaching commodity again in the football world as he's resurrected Colorado's football program. The Buffaloes are 8-2 and control their own destiny to make the College Football Playoff, something that seemed far unlikely to happen when he took over the program in 2023 after a one-win season.

Shedeur Sanders has been a key reason for that turnaround after transferring in from Jackson State to follow his father. The younger Sanders has been among the best quarterbacks in college football this season, completing 72.9% of his passes for 3,222 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions to go with four rushing touchdowns.

Those stats, along with his arm and ability to operate in the pocket, have made Shedeur one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. But while his son will head to the NFL next season, Deion Sanders told reporters Tuesday that he doesn't intend to leave Colorado.

"I am happy where I am," the elder Sanders said. "I have a kickstand down. I am good. I love it here."

Still, Cowherd was steadfast in his belief that the Cowboys should acquire the Sanders tandem even though they just gave Prescott the largest contract in NFL history just hours before their season opener.

"If I was the Dallas Cowboys, I don't care about Dak's new contract, I would go get Deion Sanders and I would pick Shedeur Sanders," Cowherd said. "If I had to give up Micah Parsons and three firsts [to move up in the draft], I would do it. You do not get out of bankruptcy putting $13 a month into your 401k — you get out of it with big swings. That's how you get out of it."

Should Dallas Cowboys move on from Dak Prescott and draft Shedeur Sanders?

Entering Week 12, the Cowboys hold the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. If Shedeur Sanders is the top quarterback prospect in this year's class, Dallas would likely be out of the range to be able to select him without a trade. FOX Sports' Rob Rang had the Tennessee Titans selecting Sanders with the third overall pick in his most recent mock draft.

But the Cowboys are only a game behind the Jaguars for the No. 1 pick in the draft,, and Cowherd thinks that they might able to get the top pick without trading for it as they have several games left against teams in playoff contention. Regardless of whether they'd have to trade up to draft Sanders or not, Cowherd still thinks they should do it, pointing to the success another team has had this season after moving on from a highly-priced veteran quarterback.

"Dak will be upset if you draft Shedeur Sanders. So what?" Cowherd said. "Denver Broncos — Russell Wilson was upset. They moved off him. They're in cap hell. So what? The Denver Broncos are viable. They went and got a great coach and they went and got a great rookie quarterback and all of a sudden Denver's in the playoffs in the better conference. They may not stay there, but they went from cap hell, thin roster, missing draft picks and embarrassing franchise to, ‘Is Sean Payton Coach of the Year and Bo Nix the best rookie quarterback?' They took big swings.

"You're not getting out of this mess. This roster's bankrupt."

Michael Irvin believes 100% Deion Sanders would accept Cowboys job if they draft Shedeur

There's also the concern with Prescott's hamstring injury that led Cowherd to think that chasing after Shedeur Sanders would be the right move as the 31-year-old reportedly faces an eight-month timeline in his recovery. Cowherd also pointed to the Cowboys' track record of being bold, thinking it's time for Jerry Jones to be bold again as their Super Bowl drought nears 30 years.

"If Shedeur Sanders is great, nobody cares," Cowherd said. "'I can't believe you fired Tom Landry.' Two years later, nobody cared. … ‘How can you bring in Deion Sanders?' Oh, he's great [and you win a] Super Bowl. Nobody cares. 'I can't believe Jerry bought an NFL team. He's a wildcat. He can barely afford it!' Jimmy Johnson wins, nobody cares."

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