Report: Deion Sanders Would Leave For NFL If He Could Draft Shedeur Sanders

According to Armando Salguero, Colorado HC Deion Sanders would be interested in taking an NFL head coaching job next season if the team were to draft his son QB Shedeur Sanders so the pair could remain together.

During an appearance on The Herd, former Cowboys WR Michael Irvin, who is close with the family, said he heard from a “great source” that Sanders would “one-hundred percent” be interested in taking the Dallas Cowboys head coaching job if they were to select his son in the draft.

Of course, this would mean that Dallas HC Mike McCarthy would be fired to make way for Sanders, a former Cowboys cornerback. The team would also need to continue regressing this season to get closer to the top of the draft to have a shot at the star Colorado quarterback.

There is also the issue of the potential incumbent QB Dak Prescott, who has failed to take the team to the next level and is now sitting on injured reserve, out for the remainder of the season with a hamstring avulsion.

Salguero notes that there could be a scenario where the Cowboys hire Deion, pick Shedeur, and keep Prescott for at least one year, as trading or releasing Prescott before June 1st would leave the Cowboys with $103 million or $90 million in dead cap space.

Several other teams could be interested in hiring Sanders, and Salguero points out that there are cases for the Browns, Giants, Raiders, Saints, and Titans. He adds that it may come down to the team finding themselves with the first overall draft pick and offering Deion the position with the guarantee they would draft Shedeur.

The Giants and Saints are among the teams most in need of a head coach, with the Saints already firing HC Dennis Allen and replacing him with Darren Rizzi. Salguero would not be surprised if New York also decided to move on by firing HC Brian Daboll.

As for the Titans, Salguero wonders if they would be willing to fire HC Brian Callahan after just one season with the team for such a prophecy to be fulfilled. The same would apply to another quarterback-needy team, the Raiders, who are also in their first season under HC Antonio Pierce since his promotion from the interim position. 

Shedeur is looking to be the first quarterback off the board, however, there is no guarantee that a team could land him unless they had the No.1 draft pick. Scenarios, where a team would hire Deion and could still lose out on Shedeur could occur in the upcoming draft. Despite the draft order currently being unpredictable, it is currently wide open regarding the consensus of who will go at the top of the first round.

On Wednesday, Shedeur accepted his invitation to play in the Shrine Bowl in January instead of the Senior Bowl, which is usually the game with a better, more established talent pool. Regardless, Shedeur is continuing to make his case to NFL teams that he should be the first quarterback taken in 2025.

As for Deion, he is still focused on coaching Colorado and has had no discussions about leaving the university for an NFL job at this point.

Shedeur Sanders, 22, was a two-year starter at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado before the 2023 season. 

NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah compared him to Seahawks QB Geno Smith.

In 2024, Sanders has appeared in 10 games and completed 72.9 percent of his pass attempts for 3,222 yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He’s added four rushing touchdowns. 

Deion Sanders, 57, played 16 seasons in the NFL for the Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys, Washington, and Ravens.

Sanders took his first coaching job in 2012 for the Prime Prep Academy, which he co-founded. He eventually landed the head-coaching job at Jackson State where he spent three years. Colorado hired Sanders as their head coach prior to the 2023 season.

In his FBS coaching career, Sanders has a record of 11-10 including a 7-2 record so far in 2024.

We will have more on Deion and Shedeur Sanders as it becomes available.