Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a position no team likes. They’re currently 6-3 in the season, and fans and analysts are not happy with it.
Former Cowboy Deion Sanders Linked to His Old NFL Team
During a recent First Take episode, analyst Stephen A. Smith was discussing Deion Sanders’ success as a head coach due to his impressive turnover this season, going from a disappointing 4-8 record in 2023 to 7-2 currently.
While heaping praise on Coach Prime, Smith was quick to offer bold advice to the Cowboys, stating that the team should tank the rest of the season and secure Shedeur Sanders as the No. 1 overall pick while also hiring Deion Sanders as their new head coach.
"I believe that the Dallas Cowboys should tank the rest of the season, get the No. 1 overall pick so you can draft Shedeur Sanders and … hire Prime Time Deion Sanders as your head coach."
—@stephenasmith 👀 pic.twitter.com/thCnoWpSzt
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 11, 2024
“Prime Time Deion is the coach of the year. I’m thinking about Travis Hunter as a leading candidate for the Heisman. And I’m going to take it a step further. Are you ready for this Paul?
“Prime Time is showing, we know the brother can recruit, we know what he is. This brother, prime time, Deion Sanders, in the job that he’s doing. Are you ready for where I’m going? Are you ready for where going? Shannon, ready for where I’m going?
“I believe that the Dallas Cowboys should tank the rest of the season, get the number one overall pick so you can draft your Shedeur Sanders, and, by the way, hire Prime Time Deion Sanders as your head coach for the Dallas Cowboys.”
“I think that should be Jerry Jones’ master plan. That’s right, I said it, hire Prime Time Deion Sanders, you gotta tank the season to make sure you can get Shedeur as your quarterback and you move forward that way. That is what I believe the Dallas Cowboys should do.
Because as much as I appreciate the job and appreciate the University of Colorado and the citizens of Colorado, give Prime Time Deion this opportunity. The bottom line is when you think about Prime Time, we shouldn’t be thinking about both government, we should be thinking about someplace now and I think big D Dallas.”
Would the Cowboys Be Able To Afford Sanders? Breaking Down the Colorado Coach’s Salary
The University of Colorado signed Deion Sanders to a five-year, $29.5 million contract, making his yearly salary somewhere around $5.7 million. His pay structure includes a variety of promotional and media obligations along with various lucrative bonuses. Luckily for Coach Prime, those bonuses are getting unlocked one by one as the Buffaloes continue securing electric wins.
Until now, Coach Prime has already received a payment of $150,000 after the Buffaloes’ win against the Cincinnati Bearcats, followed by another $150,000 for being bowl-eligible. After being bowl-eligible, Sanders will be taking home $100,000 per win, the first of which he got after their win against Texas Tech in Week 11.
That being said, would Jerry Jones be willing to fork up the significant salary it would take to lure Sanders away from college football? Well, if there were an owner rich enough to do it, Jones would definitely be near the top of that list. According to Forbes, Jones is the seventh-richest owner in the NFL with a massive net worth of nearly $14 billion.
Both Sanders and Jerry Jones have talked about a possible reunion in Dallas, but neither were commital. After Colorado named Sanders head coach ahead of the 2023 season, Jones spoke about it on his radio show.
“Deion is very capable of being a head coach in the National Football League,” the Cowboys owner said via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “You couldn’t be talking to anybody that knows him any better than I do.”
However, Sanders has tried to limit those expectations. “I’m not going to the NFL,” Sanders previously said on ESPN’s First Take. “I like it here in Boulder.”
Regardless, if you look at what current coach Mike McCarthy makes with his contract ($4-7 million) and Jones does want Sanders, he will need to open that checkbook and dig deep into his pockets. It doesn’t seem likely that Sanders would be pried away from Colorado for anything less than what the top five NFL head coaches currently make (Andy Reid is currently at the top making upward of $18 million).