Deion Sanders to the Dallas Cowboys has been the talk of the town since reports emerged on Monday on both parties being "mutually interested." The notion that Jerry Jones and Sanders could work together is obviously enticing for the NFL world.
Whether it'd be a smart or foolish football move is one discussion. But no one would question if it would be a fun story to watch.
I've gone back and forth on whether it makes sense or not. The Cowboys haven't been big spenders at head coach for a good while now and Sanders is likely going to ask for a hefty price if he's leaving Colorado. On top of that, Jerry Jones would need to pay an $8 million buyout for the right to snatch him away from the Buffaloes. Surely he wouldn't do that, would he? Sanders isn't even a guarantee. He's coached college ball, not NFL football. It's risky business, potentially bad business.
And then it hit me. The biggest reason why I think Jones could deviate from his recent conservative approach and swing for the fences: This might be his last head coaching hire.
Don't get me wrong: I'm not making any predictions about the Cowboys owner's life but Jones is 82 years old. Though fans have strong reasons to believe he won't officially pass the baton anytime soon, it's hard to be sure of it. If the team signs a coach to a four-year deal or a five-year deal (the NFL standard), there's no predicting if Jerry will be as involved at 86 or 87 as he is today. Ideally, the franchise wouldn't even have to hire a new coach five years from now. What if the next time the Cowboys hire a coach, Jones is over 90?
Excluding Jerry, the average age for NFL general managers is 49.9 years old. Only three other GMs around the league are over 60. Jerry is 13 years older than the next guy (New Orleans Saints' Mickey Loomis). 56% of the league's GMs are under 50. Jerry might live past 100 but his involvement could realistically diminish between this year's hire and the next time they need a new coach.
According to Jane Slater from NFL Network, the interest in Sanders from Jerry is "absolutely real." The league insider also reported Sanders was met with resistance when he approached Colorado athletic director Rick George about increasing the money for NIL and his coaching staff. Ed Werder from ESPN reported Sanders "would almost certainly accept" if Jerry makes him the offer to coach the Cowboys. He added Jones is "enamored" with the idea.
The above makes the possibility feel more realistic than it did on Monday. Then, I wrote about how the reports about Sanders and Dallas could be a play for attention but if the sides are seriously interested in each other, what's stopping Jerry?
Asking myself this, I couldn't help but think of the infamous Johnny Manziel draft card story. Allegedly, Stephen Jones had to snatch the card with Manziel's name off of Jerry's hands in the 2014 NFL Draft to keep his dad from picking the controversial quarterback over Zack Martin, who went on to become a surefire future Hall of Famer.
The reason why I thought of this should be obvious: How much is this Jerry's decision? How much is Stephen's and other members' of the organization?
"No, I bought the team," Jones told reporters following Week 18 when asked if he'd give up GM duties. "I think the first thing that came out of my mouth (when I bought the team), somebody asked, 'Did you buy this for your kids?' and I said, 'Hell no, I bought it for me.' And I didn’t buy an investment; I bought an occupation, and I bought something that I was going to do. I was 46. I bought something I was going to do for the rest of my life, and that’s what I’m doing."
If this is Jones' last coaching hire, will he let anyone stop him from getting Sanders in a final, desperate swing for the fences? If he truly wishes to make a Jimmy Johnson-esque hire and land Deion in a flashy move, what if this time he doesn't let Stephen close in for the draft card?
I doubt it's the likeliest outcome but Sanders is the obvious home run swing. It's much more high-risk, high-reward than Kellen Moore, Robert Saleh, or Leslie Frazier (the expected interviewees for the job so far) would be. If Jones is ever again channeling the gambler within him that has been hibernating for too long, it might be now or never.
