Colorado Buffaloes‘ head coach Deion Sanders said he would never coach in the NFL on Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson’s podcast, NIghtcap.
Sharpe inquired about the opening with the Los Angeles Chargers, which came about as a result of a 63-21 primetime embarrassment at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders. Sanders responded by not only denying that specific job, but denying the idea of coaching in the NFL at all.
“I don’t want to do pros, I love college. I would never do pros,” said Sanders. “I like the purity of the young men. I like the sensitivities, and the amateurism of it.”
Johnson brought up Sanders’ 1994 song called “Must be the Money,” and argued that if the price was right, Sanders would leave for the NFL. Sanders’ contract with Colorado is a five-year contract worth $29.5 million. Dallas Cowboys‘ head coach Mike McCarthy has a Super Bowl under his belt, yet he only makes $4 million a year.
Conversely, Pittsburgh Steelers‘ head coach Mike Tomlin is on the hot seat and he makes over double what Sanders makes yearly. Sanders replied to Johnson by saying he is happy with what he has now.
“I’m straight,” said Sanders. “The Lord has provided me with everything I need, and I am having the time of my life.”
Deion Sanders says he has a problem with the way certain NFL players act
Another reason Sanders claimed keeps him out of the NFL is the attitude of certain players. This season has seen multiple instances of players giving up on plays, despite making millions of dollars.
George Pickens run blocking effort 🥶. Should’ve been a TD. pic.twitter.com/STZjKAD53i
— TJ Goebig (@GoebigTj) December 16, 2023
This is embarrassing… Look at #Steelers Diontae Johnson at the top of the screen.
Total lack of effort – a week after fighting teammates and coaches, what is wrong with Johnson?pic.twitter.com/1u6kkb1xjShttps://t.co/XCrz8KOsiT
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 26, 2023
Sanders was a high-effort player in his NFL playing days, which makes it hard for him to understand players that don’t give it their all on every snap. The Hall-of-Famer acknowledges that this lack of effort is not a new thing, and has been around since he played.
I would have a hard time in the locker room with a guy thats making a multitude of millions, and he doesn’t want to play, or doesn’t want to give his all. I would have a problem with that, Chad. A real problem with that.” said Sanders. “And you know we had teammates like that, I can’t do that.”
Deion Sanders enjoys the process of recruiting
Coming off of his first year as a Power-Five head coach, Sanders has already cemented his place as one of the best recruiters in college football. He managed to get the number one recruit in the 2022 class, Travis Hunter, to commit to him while he was the head coach at HBCU Jackson State.
As a result of a sack heavy season, Sanders has made a point of beefing up the offensive line to protect his son at quarterback, Shedeur Sanders. The Buffaloes’ quarterback was sacked 52 times in 2023, the most of any quarterback in the country.
Sanders addressed the offensive line issues by getting a commitment from 2024’s No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the country, Jordan Seaton. He also got a commitment from Issiah Walker Jr, who is the No. 2 JUCO tackle prospect. As of right now, Sanders added five additional lineman from the transfer portal.
“I love Boulder, Colorado. I love the kids that I get to coach. I love the recruiting process. I love it,” said Sanders.
While recruiting isn’t an aspect of being an NFL head coach, executives say they hope the skillset will transfer to free agency. In an article from the Athletic, an executive details why he might think this would be the case.
“I’d definitely want to bring him in to hear what he has to say,” an executive said. “He’s a smart guy and a good coach who has had a lot of early success. You’d want to pick his brain to see if it could translate. He knows how to motivate his players. He’s crushed the transfer portal, and maybe that would carry over into team building through free agency.”
His ability to recruit is one thing, but another strong aspect of his coaching ability is development. Executives say Sanders knows how to manage players and put them in the best position to succeed.
“He clearly has a plan to develop young men,” an executive said. “It’s worked to this point. He has no issue putting people in position to do what they do best, doesn’t seem to micromanage and knows his strengths.”
Rumors of Sanders departure will continue to swirl due to the fact that the Colorado Buffaloes are far from perennial contenders. Although he did say he loved Boulder, Sanders was much more emphatic about staying away from the NFL.
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