The idea of NFL legend Deion Sanders returning to the NFL as a head coach isn’t off the table—but it comes with a very specific condition.
According to former NFL defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones, who is a longtime friend of Coach Prime, Sanders would only consider an NFL job if it allowed him to coach his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Jones recently spoke to TMZ about the possibility while discussing the current NFL coaching cycle, explaining that Sanders has no interest in a scenario that would put him on the opposite sideline from his son.
“He’s not going to go and coach against Shedeur,” Jones said. “That’s first and foremost.”
That journey has already unfolded in rare fashion. Sanders previously coached Shedeur at Jackson State before the pair moved together to the University of Colorado, where Sanders took over the Colorado Buffaloes program.
Their time in Boulder has included both high-profile success and difficult rebuilding stretches, including a challenging 3–9 season last fall. Despite outside speculation, Jones suggested Sanders still feels invested in what he’s building at the college level.
Still, the NFL remains a topic of conversation—particularly with the Cleveland Browns currently exploring a new head coach, who was one of many fired following this latest NFL season.
Shedeur started the final seven games of his rookie season, making Cleveland one of the few realistic destinations where a Sanders-led NFL transition could even be conceivable.
Jones was careful not to predict a move, but emphasized the parameters if it ever happened. “If it was to happen,” he said, “it would be somewhere where Shedeur is playing at.”
The hypothetical carries historic weight. Coaching one’s son at multiple levels—HBCU football, Power Five college football, and potentially the NFL—would be unprecedented. Jones called the idea “1-of-1,” adding, “That would be crazy.”