Deion Sanders gave his first local Cleveland media interview since his son Shedeur Sanders got drafted to the Browns. The 45-minute interview focused mostly on Shedeur with the Browns, but Sanders made important comments about Colorado.
Shedeur’s NFL draft and selection by Cleveland has been a consistent topic since January 2025. For the first time in years, the most talked about offseason player wasn’t an NFL veteran or a rookie Top 50 pick.
It was a fifth rounder.
Some of the chatter was normal. However, many takes were ridiculous. The biggest was the idea that Cleveland should trade the rookie they just drafted because he wasn’t named the starter in May. That narrative grew more intense as the process went on without Shedeur being named the starter.
High profile rookie quarterbacks don’t get traded in year one, so that was always laughable.
The second most talked about narrative from January 2025 until recently was the idea that Deion Sanders would leave Colorado to take an NFL head coaching job. Coach Prime had been consistent with one exception being a call with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
On May 14, Sanders put an end to that narrative.
Prime’s quotes from the interview
This interview was Cleveland and Shedeur Sanders specific. While Garrett Bush was respectful of and claims to be a fan of the Colorado program, there was no guarantee Colorado would be a big talking point beyond the Shedeur connection.
In the final question, Bush asked Sanders what’s more important at this stage in your life – success or influence? Sanders broke his answer into two parts. Success for Deion, influence for Shedeur.
“It’s two fold, amazing question my brother. At Colorado… I want to win. I want to win it all. It ain’t no negotiation. No side steppin. That’s my number one goal.”
He then admitted that Shedeur has already passed him in influence. He painted a picture of Shedeur’s fan range – from kids through Deion’s fans who could be in their 70’s.
Earlier in the interview, Sanders addressed a rumored concept within NFL circles he believes affected Shedeur’s draft position.
“That troubled me with all the bull junk that was said because I think that was tied to me. Certain people thought I wanted their job. I never wanted their job. I love Colorado man. I love my kids that I have in that locker room. I love the staff. I love all of it. I ain’t tryin to coach no NFL. I think a couple of people may have thought that. And they thought if they brought him in, it would be that. I guarantee you if you put GMs on a lie detector and ask them that question, that machine’s about to bungy jump.”
Sanders’ public record on coaching in the NFL
Coach Prime has spent significant time over the last three years trying to counter the narrative that he’ll eventually make the jump to the NFL. With only one exception, he’s been extremely consistent.
Sanders doesn’t want to coach in the NFL because it’s a different animal. He’s stated that he enjoys coaching young men who aspire to the NFL, not grown men trying to keep what they have. He’s also discussed the actual coaching aspect.
He’s comedically claimed that with a lot of what he sees, he would cut half the roster at halftime of games. Something that wouldn’t work well with billion-dollar companies that have employees making several millions.
“See I couldn’t coach NFL. I coach college. I have a problem with very very rich men not wanting to do their jobs. So I know I would go in at halftime and come back out with eleven guys. That’s why I love college football. You can still have an impact because those guys want to get to the pro level so they can make money. I don’t think I could be impactful in the pros.”
This could fall under “maybe people should take him at his word.” However, there was a phone call with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that stoked the flames of Deion in the NFL. Whether that was good faith gesture by Jerry Jones, an exploratory conversation, or negotiating ploy prior to Sanders’ large Colorado contract extension, we may never truly know.
It did create a weak link in the conversation of Sanders not going to the NFL.
This may leave many to ask why various media outlets pushed Sanders to the NFL so hard for so long. Especially considering some pushing the narrative most were close personal friends to Sanders.
The answer is simple.
Those at places like ESPN, CBS, Fox Sports and others don’t cover college the way they cover pro. The Stephen A’s and Shannon Sharpes of the world saw an opportunity to make Deion Sanders a national story. Or more specifically an NFL story. In order to maximize the Sanders hype, especially early, they had to make it NFL specific.
The other side was many of them pushing that narrative to make it a bigger talking point for the CU Board of Regents to consider pre-contract extension. Despite Sanders claiming he doesn’t need outside tactics for his Colorado extension.
A move to the NFL came with impossible conditions
The only other time Coach Prime left the door to the NFL even slightly open came during the 2025 pre-draft process. While the head coach often tries to separate Dad from Coach, this might have been the one time he was unsuccessful in doing so. While many media personnel were attempting to widen that door, Sanders provided the one way he would actually consider it.
Shedeur and Shilo on the same team. In early January 2025 in a Good Morning America appearance Sanders gave a one-line quote that only intensified speculation.
“The only way I would consider it is to coach my sons,” Sanders said. Not if he could coach one of his sons, but his SONS, plural. In that moment it would be understandable for him to consider a highly questionable move if it meant coaching both Shedeur and Shilo on the same team.
Not only would a team have to draft Shedeur, but to get Coach Prime to even consider it, they’d have to draft both Shedeur and Shilo. Fast forward a year and Shilo Sanders isn’t with an NFL franchise and has chosen to instead focus on being a content creator and streamer.
The head coach who often separates Coach from Dad was never realistically going to consider coaching in the NFL. It’s a league he dominated as a player but has no interest in joining as a coach.
Even the one scenario that could force that move had a dramatically low probability of happening.
In addition to having interest in Shedeur’s NFL journey, Prime has responsibilities of his own to tend to. The Colorado Buffaloes are going to begin summer practice soon. This is also the fourth year that includes a significant roster flip.
Most of the big-name players from 2025 are now on other teams.
Sanders has flipped many players “chasing a bag” for many players looking for an opportunity and not a payday. After the top 25 storylines, will it work in Colorado in 2026 should be a significant storyline of interest. Can the Buffaloes punt on most 4- and 5-star talent and win the old-fashioned way.
Only time will tell, but Sanders seems noticeably more excited about what 2026 will bring.
