Deion Sanders: 'I Did Think About' Cowboys HC Job After Jerry Jones Discussion

Deion Sanders said he thought about the possibility of coaching in the NFL after owner Jerry Jones reportedly reached out to him in January amid the Dallas Cowboys' search for a Mike McCarthy replacement.

The Colorado head coach did not formally interview for the job before Jones and the Cowboys promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to the role.

"It's intriguing. Now, I did think about it, like, what are the possibilities?" Sanders said in a Friday appearance on ESPN's First Take. "But I think at this point in time, I'm called to the college game.

"I'm called to the young men, I'm called to those cities, those towns, those communities. That's who I'm called for to make impact in that at this stage and age of my life."

Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz reported in January that Sanders and Jones had spoken about the head coaching vacancy and that Sanders was "considered a top candidate" for the role.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that there was at least "some" mutual interest between the team and former player in the job.

The Cowboys ultimately targeted candidates with experience on NFL staffs, including Schottenheimer, Kellen Moore, Robert Saleh and Pete Carroll, in formal interviews for the position.

After the Schottenheimer hiring, Sanders said a recent talk with former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman on his Tubi talk show "We Got Time Today" (h/t Reuters) that he hadn't wanted to coach in the NFL in any case "because of the way they practice, the way they go about it."

Whether Sanders considers potential NFL head coaching jobs in the future could depend on where his sons end up after the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders has previously said he would "only" consider a pro coaching job if it was to work with Shedeur or Shilo Sanders, and Shedeur could be on track to be taken off the board on Day 1 of the upcoming draft.