Deion Sanders, NFL Coach? Why Patriots Players Buying ‘Primetime’

FOXBORO, Mass. — It probably is just a matter of time before Deion Sanders gets a coaching opportunity in the NFL. Even if most owners don’t buy the hype, all it takes is one to dream big about what he could bring to a franchise.

But would the coaching version of “Primetime” actually work in the NFL? Or is Sanders a classic example of a big personality better suited for college than the pros?

We recently asked those questions to a trio of New England Patriots players, and all offered variations of the same answer.

“I think so, honestly,” Rhamondre Stevenson said of Sanders, who recently insisted he has no immediate plans of bolting for the pros. “I think he brings a lot of energy to the game. He’s urgent about things. … I know a couple people that go to Colorado; he demands a lot from the kids. And I think it would translate to the NFL.”

We’ve seen brash, over-the-top coaches before — but nothing like Sanders. At 56 years old, the Pro Football Hall of Famer coaches with the same relentless energy that he showed as a player. As he was throughout the 1990s, Sanders remains a human headline factory before, during and after games.

But even he reached a new level last week ahead of his third game as University of Colorado’s head coach. It started when Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell inexplicably gave bulletin board material to Deion Sanders before facing him.

“When I talk to grown-ups, I take my hat and my glasses off,” Norvell said, referring to the way Sanders carries himself publicly. “That’s what my mother taught me.”

In the aftermath, Sanders told his players that Norvell made things “personal,” gave each a pair of his signature sunglasses and watched his son, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, call Norvell a “fool” while appearing on ESPN. Deion also leaned into the whole thing when “College Gameday” visited Boulder.

The non-stop buzz culminated in one of the most-hyped regular season games in recent college history, with Sanders’ team edging Norvell’s in double overtime. To both coaches’ credit, they took the high road during a postgame handshake. A day later, Sanders’ week ended with a lengthy “60 Minutes” interview.

It’s a lot. He’s a lot. And NFL players might be turned off by such an approach if it were used by some young, hot-shot coach making the jump from college.

But we’re not talking about just anyone. We’re talking about Deion Sanders, one of the best players in football history.

“I think it comes first with respect, respecting of what he did for the game,” Jalen Mills told NESN.com. “I mean, he’s a pioneer. When you’re talking about his game, he was one of one. So, I think the respect part comes first.

“And when you have respect first for a coach, I think everything else falls into place. You trust the coaching staff, you trust the coaching, you trust how he speaks to you.”

No matter who Sanders is talking to about football, that person knows they’re receiving information they can believe in. Sanders doesn’t need to prove anything, and that could give him a head start if he’s ever tasked with running an NFL team.

“Just, who he is would work,” Jabrill Peppers said. “Like, you’re being coached by one of the best guys that’s suited up, put on a pair of cleats. You know what I mean? You’d be a fool not to listen to him. He knows what it takes not only to get there but to stay there. And (to) have done it at a high level, to have a gold jacket.”

Stevenson agreed.

“Us players knowing he played in the NFL at a very high level, like, he knows exactly what he’s talking about,” Stevenson said. “I think every little thing Deion says, I think all the players just buy into it and believe it since he’s done it before.”

It would be one thing if Sanders’ act wasn’t genuine, that his constant promotion of his players and program really was a veiled promotion of himself. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

“You can tell he cares about his players,” Peppers said. “You can tell he cares about winning. And he has that same chip on his shoulder that his players do. I don’t know his coaching style like I’m in the room, but just on the outside looking in, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work (in the pros).”

There’s no denying that Sanders can be a difference-maker in college. Jackon State, an FCS school, posted six consecutive losing seasons before Sanders’ arrival in 2020. The program then went 27-6 with him leading the way, including winning back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. This season, Sanders led Colorado to a 3-0 start after the program went 1-11 in 2022. He’s a master recruiter, and his players want to win for him.

But there’s a long-standing belief that coaches like Sanders can’t succeed in the NFL, where everyone makes big money and some players will make more than he does. However, times have changed, with some collegiate athletes now making real money before they ever reach the pros.

“It was just different back in the day because, you know, people thought, since players in the league were getting paid, there’s more personalities,” Peppers said. “And, to an extent, it’s (true). But as a coach, you gotta know how to navigate that. You gotta know how to navigate the personalities on your team. You gotta know how to talk to each and every guy to see what they respond well to.

“But now the guys in college are getting paid, too. You know what I mean? Some of them might have to take a pay cut when they get to the league if we’re being honest. So, there’s really no difference at this point.”

Another potential issue: What if Sanders is a frontrunner? What would he do, and how would his message resonate, if takes over a losing NFL franchise that struggles in his first season on the job?

“You know, there’s still explosive, top athletes,” Peppers said of how the college game compares to the NFL. “It’s just you got a cupcake game every couple weeks in college, as opposed to in the NFL, no matter what a team’s record is, you can be beat if you don’t go out there and do what you’re supposed to do.”

Still, Peppers believes the blurring of lines between college and the NFL are real and would make a transition easier for Sanders.

“I don’t really see any difference — especially in this day and age,” he said.

It probably is difficult for Patriots fans to imagine someone like Sanders being a championship-caliber coach in the NFL. They’re conditioned to believe that Bill Belichick’s way is best — and they’re not necessarily wrong.

But if the post-Tom Brady years have taught us anything, it’s that there’s more than one way to be a successful NFL coach. Perennial losers have transformed into legitimate title contenders with goofy, big-personality coaches calling the shots.

Moreover, the NFL is becoming increasingly like the NBA, with disgruntled players choosing their destinies while chasing rings, money and/or fun environments.

To that end, Sanders and his immense gravity could fit right in. NFL players already can’t get enough of him, even though he’s coaching a program that has just 10 alums in the pros. It’s not hard to envision free agents flocking to wherever he lands.

For now, Sanders appears at home in Colorado, and it would be a surprise to see him leave for the NFL this soon. But make no mistake: “Primetime” is coming, and some players can’t wait.