Coaching in the NFL is simply not in the cards for Deion Sanders.
When asked during an episode of ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday if there was any way he would be willing to go from coaching in the NCAA to the pros, Sanders said bluntly that there’s nothing that would get him to make the jump.
“Not whatsoever,” Sanders said. “What transpired with my son [Shedeur Sanders] last year, ain’t no way in the world.”
After trailing off from that conversation, Sanders resumed on the topic of him ever becoming an NFL coach.
“Thank you, Lord,” he added. “When I stop like that, that don’t mean I’m lost for words. … That means God said, ‘You a head coach now, you can’t do that. You can’t talk like that, you can’t say that. I know you’re comfortable with your brothers here, but you can’t say that.’”
Sanders has been at the helm of Colorado since 2023, leading the team to a 16-21 record over his three-year tenure.
In addition to coaching, Sanders also discussed Shedeur’s roller-coaster rookie season with the Browns that saw the 23-year-old start the year as Cleveland’s third-string quarterback and end with him starting the final seven games.
“It was a tough year [for the Sanders family],” Sanders said. “We didn’t fault him. We didn’t doubt. We didn’t back up off that thing. We stood there and we fought, man. And we’re back.
“This year, in 2026, is ours. We’re going to dominate this year, from the top to the bottom.”
In eight games, Shedeur threw for 1,400 yards, completing 56.6 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
He reached the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Patriots star Drake Maye.
Shedeur’s up-and-down season led to former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck questioning if the 2025 fifth-round pick is even worthy of a backup spot next season.
“I mean, quite frankly, I don’t think he would even enter training camp as the second guy on the roster,” Hasslebeck said during an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” earlier this week. “So I don’t think that’s how they’ll operate. It’s hard to become a head coach in the NFL and if you do, you’ve got to try to win with a quarterback.
“And most guys, including [coach] Todd Monken, aren’t going to try to do it with somebody like Shedeur.”