Deion Sanders Under Fire from NFL Executives for ‘Just’ Promoting Son Shedeur

Since Deion Sanders took over as head coach at Colorado, the spotlight has been intense on both him and the program.

Recently, this attention has shifted towards criticism regarding his management of the program.

A lot of optimism brewed at the time of Sanders' hiring, believing that he can revamp a program that went 1-11 in the 2022 campaign. And while his inaugural season as head coach did not go as planned with a 4-8 showing, the potential was undeniably there with a firepower offense that can threaten opponents on a game-by-game basis.

However, this year has seen the flaws witnessed the season prior pop themselves back into the discussion as the Buffaloes start 1-1 after a victory against North Dakota State and a loss to Nebraska. Because of this, NFL executives are looking at Sanders in a negative light while he progresses through his second season as a head coach.

Mike Sando from The Athletic interviewed two NFL executives who expressed disapproval of the program and sharply criticized Deion Sanders, insinuating that his primary goal is to promote his son, Shedeur Sanders, the team's quarterback.

“Now, he looks like a guy who lacks detail, his hard-edged style is running people out of there and he is just really promoting his son,” one executive said.

There is no doubt that Shedeur is a talented quarterback despite the executive's accusation towards Deion's alleged favoritism, coming off a 2023 campaign where he completed 298 of 430 passes for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. This year, he has been successful on 49 of 72 throws for 689 yards and five touchdowns and two interceptions.

Another individual criticized the style of play that Colorado has exhibited over the past two seasons. Specifically, the executive censured Sanders for neglecting details such as offensive line play.

“There is nothing wrong with what we said last year, that he tells the truth and connects with players,” the second executive said. “But there’s a lot more that goes into it than connecting with the players and telling the truth to the media about the state of college athletics. A lot more goes into winning, like blocking and tackling and protecting the passer and having the quarterback not scramble so frequently that everything is off timing.”

This marks a shift from the perspective of many executives compared to just a season ago when the focus was more on his relationship with the players. Now, as Colorado faces challenges on the field, there is increasing worry about the program's condition.

Related: Shedeur Sanders Drops Blunt Admission About His Big Mistake vs. Nebraska