Deion Sanders Top Candidate for Dallas Cowboys Jobs, According to Odds

Deion Sanders is in year two of his five-year, $29.5 million contract as the University of Colorado's football coach, but a recent report shows the odds are high that Sanders could find himself working for the Dallas Cowboys next fall.

On January 13, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported that Sanders had spoken with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about being the NFL team's next coach. Oddsmakers are sold on the idea, with DraftKings Sportsbook giving Sanders the best chance of anyone to become the Cowboys' next coach, at +100 odds. Behind Sanders is former Cowboys offensive coach Kellen Moore, at +250, and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, at +350.

Sanders played for the Cowboys for five seasons and won a Super Bowl there. When he spoke with ESPN on January 13 after the report came out, he didn't denounce the idea that he could reunite with his former team as a coach.

“To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it’s intriguing,” Sanders said. “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.”

CU fans might have flashbacks to 2020, when then-head coach Mel Tucker told donors he had "full intentions to be at CU" one night before announcing that he would leave to coach at Michigan State less than 24 hours later. "I love Boulder" offers even less of a commitment.

🚨 NEW MARKET ALERT 🚨

Deion Sanders is the favorite to be the next head coach of the Cowboys 👀 pic.twitter.com/daNeyn6LGR

— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) January 14, 2025

Sanders has previously said he isn't interested in coaching in the NFL, but he changed his tune last fall, telling Good Morning America that he would leave Boulder for the NFL if he could coach his sons, Shilo and Shedeur. Shedeur Sanders was CU's quarterback for the past two years and is expected to be one of the top picks in the NFL draft, if not the very first player off the draft board.

While Deion has said he will quietly influence where his elder son is picked, it's difficult to imagine he would have the sway to make Shedeur last until the twelfth spot, when the Cowboys are slated to pick.

The other factor to consider: After two fairly successful years, Deion could be using the Cowboys opening to help negotiate a contract extension with CU. Sanders took a team that notched just one win in 2022 to a 9-4 record in 2024. Plus, CU player Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy, bringing national attention and recognition to the school.

Schultz, who originally broke the news, is signed to SMAC Entertainment. SMAC also represents the entire Sanders family and produces the Amazon Prime series Coach Prime.

At least two prominent former NFL players have voiced support on X for hiring Coach Prime, while some college football fans took the rumors as a chance to pounce on CU football fans:

I hope @DeionSanders get the cowboys coaching Job!

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) January 14, 2025

Deion Sanders should be the next Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

I was the first person to say it last year on the set of Monday Night Countdown when it wasn’t a popular opinion.

Everyone wasn’t convinced at that time and THAT WAS OKAY.

But I saw what Coach Prime was… pic.twitter.com/9TrDmaztjh

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 13, 2025

Boulder Colorado after Deion Sanders leaves for the NFL pic.twitter.com/R39503aoXD

— WestTexasMarine (@WestTexasMarine) January 13, 2025

The thing about Deion Sanders leaving Colorado for literally anywhere, is that it was 100% predictable.

— Lauren J in the BigXII (@thespinzone) January 14, 2025