Colorado head coach Deion Sanders confirmed he spoke with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about the NFL franchise's open coaching job on Monday.
"To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it's intriguing," Sanders told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "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.”
Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported earlier Monday that there was mutual interest between the Cowboys and Sanders. A formal interview wasn't scheduled, but the two parties were expected to continue talking, a source told ESPN's Todd Archer. Dallas also plans to interview other candidates.
Sanders spent five seasons of his playing career in Dallas from 1995-99. He was part of the Cowboys' last Super Bowl victory, which came during the 1995 season, and totalled 14 interceptions and four Pro Bowls during his time with the franchise.
The Hall of Fame cornerback has risen through the college coaching ranks in recent years. He began his career with a three-season stint at Jackson State before taking the Colorado job ahead of the 2023 campaign. He posted a 4-8 record in his first season as the Buffaloes' coach and went 9-4 in 2024.
Sanders shut down speculation about leaving Colorado in November, saying he's "happy" where his. However, he said last week that he'd only consider leaving college for an NFL job if he had the chance to coach both his sons, Shedeur and Shilo.
The Cowboys' head coaching position became vacant after the franchise elected to move on from Mike McCarthy on Monday. McCarthy spent five years in Dallas, during which time the franchise went 49-35 in regular-season play but only 1-3 in the postseason. The Cowboys went 7-10 in McCarthy's final season.
Dallas' next head coach will field a roster that's headlined by quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and pass-rusher Micah Parsons.
It was previously rumored that Sanders' associates had reached out to the Las Vegas Raiders about their head coaching job, but the AFC West franchise reportedly wasn't interested.
