Report: Deion Sanders Seeks More NIL Money Amid Cowboys Rumors; Colorado AD Resists

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 16, 2025

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It remains to be seen whether Deion Sanders will be the head coach of Colorado or the Dallas Cowboys next season, but he reportedly isn’t getting all the name, image and likeness money he was hoping for from the Buffaloes.

Jane Slater of NFL Network reported Thursday that sources told her Colorado athletic director Rick George responded with “resistance” when Sanders approached him asking for more money for his staff and NIL endeavors in the new college-football landscape.

Jane Slater @SlaterNFLOne thing to watch following Jerry Jones and his initial discussions with Deion Sanders. Two people with knowledge of the situation tell me Sanders approached Colorado AD Rick George Tuesday about additional money for NIL and his staff. He was met with resistance. The University…

Colorado has shown significant improvement in just two seasons with Sanders as head coach.

It was just 4-8 overall and 1-8 in Pac-12 play in 2023 but went 9-4 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12 after switching conferences in 2024. It was in the mix for a Big 12 title for much of the season and qualified for a spot in the Alamo Bowl.

The Buffaloes won at least nine games for just the second time since the 2002 season, but the reality in today’s college football world is that momentum will likely only continue if they have enough money to support recruiting and transfer portal endeavors.

Having a Hall of Famer like Sanders surely helps in the recruiting world, but there is also a ceiling on just how far Colorado can climb if it cannot match what other top programs are offering from a financial perspective.

Perhaps this will play a role in Sanders’ decision-making process this offseason.

His son, Shedeur Sanders, already won’t be with Colorado next season since he is heading to the 2025 NFL draft. And now America’s Team and Deion Sanders’ former home in the Cowboys has a job opening that may not be available again in the near future.

“Regarding Deion Sanders: I’m being told that he would almost certainly accept if Jerry Jones offers to make him the next #Cowboys head coach, that those around him are encouraging him to pursue it and that Jones is enamored with the idea,” NFL insider Ed Werder reported Thursday.

Sanders himself told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the opportunity with the Cowboys, where he played five seasons from 1995 to 1999, is “intriguing.”

For all the growth it has shown in the last two years, Colorado would be facing an uncertain future if Sanders did leave. The timing is also less than ideal because early signing day has already passed and its own players would then be eligible to enter the transfer portal because of a coaching change.

The Buffaloes would likely have to wait until the spring transfer portal opened to restock some of their roster, and doing so without Sanders won’t be easy. That is especially true if they are hesitant to use more funds on NIL.