It took just hours between the Dallas Cowboys announcing Mike McCarthy was out as head coach for a big name to enter the fold: Deion Sanders. The Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Cowboys star was named as a potential target for the Cowboys in their search for a new head coach.

Sanders is currently coach of the Colorado Buffaloes‘ football team, a position he’s held since 2023. Hours after reports of the Cowboys reaching out to him about the job, Sanders responded.

“I love [Cowboys owner Jerry Jones] and believe in Jerry,” Sanders told ESPN on Monday night during the Vikings-Rams playoff game, per Adam Schefter. “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.”

Sanders just finished his second season with the Buffaloes. Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter won the 2024 Heisman Trophy as the Buffaloes improved to 9-4 following a 4-8 finish in Sanders’ first season in Boulder.

Sanders previously said he would consider coaching in the NFL if he could coach his sons, Shedeur and Shilo. Shedeur is expected to go early in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

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Former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant voiced his support for Sanders to take the job on X. Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III also said the Cowboys should hire Sanders prior to these reports.

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