Speculation that the departure of Deion Sanders’ sons to the NFL would soon lead to a departure of the coach himself for the NFL ranks has taken a serious hit.
The University of Colorado announced on Friday that it had agreed to a new five-year, $54 million deal with Deion Sanders, making him the highest-paid head coach in the Big 12.
“He’ll make $10 million in 2025, $10 million in 2026, $11 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028, and $12 million in 2029,” Pro Football Talk reports.
The buyouts make that more difficult for those arguing that the contract does not preclude Sanders from bolting for the NFL (and it may not).
According to Pro Football Talk, the buyout structure is as follows: “$12 million before December 31, 2025; $10 million before December 31, 2026; $6 million before December 31, 2027; $4 million before December 31, 2028, and $3 million before December 31, 2029. ”
Is $12 million enough to stop a billionaire NFL owner from buying Sanders out of his contract? Not really. However, the rapidly descending buyout numbers make him much more affordable after the 20255-2026 season.
Sanders has amassed a record of 13-12 in his two years coaching at Boulder. The Buffs have made one bowl game with Sanders, an Alamo Bowl appearance against BYU that saw the Buffaloes suffer a 36-14 thrashing at the hands of the Cougars.
