Should Deion Sanders explore an NFL head coaching gig? Ranking top 5 fits for Colorado HC 

Deion Sanders might have wrapped up his NFL career decades ago, but the one-time superstar player has become a superstar head coach.

From coaching up an HBCU unit to fixing Colorado overnight, some are now wondering what's next for the head coach. To many, the NFL seems like the next logical step. However, is it a worthwhile endeavor?

Transitioning from coaching in college to coaching in the NFL is not an easy job. In college, coaches have much more power over the young, inexperienced, and financially dependent. In the NFL, the players stand shoulder to shoulder with coaches and in some instances, they tower over them.

College coaches have struggled to transition to the NFL several times in the past. Chip Kelly, Urban Meyer, and even Nick Saban have all failed in the professional leagues.

That said, as a former player himself, Deion Sanders likely knows much more about what rhetoric and coaching techniques work for players. If he wants to put that theory to the test, here are five coaching fits that might work:

Top 5 NFL coaching fits for Colorado HC Deion Sanders

#5 - New England Patriots

Bill Belichick at Philadelphia Eagles v New England Patriots

It sounds crazy, but the New England Patriots might need to reestablish a winning culture after what appears to be four straight seasons of missing the playoffs. If owner Robert Kraft wants to get back to the team's winning ways, it doesn't get much bigger than taking a swing at Sanders.

Of course, that assumes that 2023 is indeed the year that Bill Belichick hangs it up. However, in a tough-as-nails AFC East, it's going to take something drastic like adding Deion Sanders to catch up to the Dolphins, Jets, and Bills in 2024.

#4 - Chicago Bears

Matt Eberflus at Green Bay Packers v Chicago Bears

Justin Fields is 0-2 and pointing fingers at the coaching staff. If the general manager is truly all-in on the quarterback, he will need to make a change this offseason for the man standing on the sidelines, as the relationship between Matt Eberflus and Fields already appears frayed.

Put simply, Fields would not be calling out Deion Sanders two weeks into a season in 2024. In a wide-open NFC North, pulling the trigger on a superstar coach could be the quickest way to jump to the top over the stumbling Detroit Lions, wild-card Green Bay Packers, and exhausted Minnesota Vikings.

#3 - Houston Texans

Demeco Ryans at Houston Texans v Baltimore Ravens

After two weeks, CJ Stroud has looked like the winner of the draft class thus far, at least in fantasy football leagues.

That said, the team is 0-2. They had a one-and-done head coach in Lovie Smith last year, so swapping out Demeco Ryans after a season for a superstar wouldn't exactly be the biggest shock in the world.

It has been quite some time since the Texans hit their peak with Bill O'Brien, and the fans are clamoring for a return to the peak of the Deshaun Watson years.

Deion Sanders might be the quickest path to that and in getting paired up with CJ Stroud ahead of his all-important second year, the timing could be perfect.

#2 - Arizona Cardinals

Jonathan Gannon at New York Giants v Arizona Cardinals

The Kyler Murray era feels like it's running on fumes after the team sleepwalked through 2022, with injuries now affecting Murray in two straight seasons. However, the team is stuck with the quarterback through the 2028 season.

As such, the team needs to look for a superstar coach like Deion Sanders to wring every ounce of value out of the next half-decade or more.

The Denver Broncos are proving that quarterbacks can look different overnight if they swap coaches correctly. Well, it appears that following in Denver's footsteps as best they can might be the Cardinals' best hope.

#1 - Los Angeles Chargers

Brandon Staley at Los Angeles Chargers v San Francisco 49ers

The Los Angeles Chargers were a playoff team last year. However, during their rise and since he was hired, head coach Brandon Staley has been targeted by fans and pundits as the biggest piece holding the team back.

Swapping out Brandon Staley for Deion Sanders would be a blockbuster move for a team that appears to be teetering on the brink on a perennial basis with Justin Herbert.

Even with Staley on the team, Justin Herbert threw for 25 touchdowns and ten interceptions, getting within a half of winning the quarterback's first playoff game.

The team went up 27-0 against Trevor Lawrence in the playoffs but ended up losing the game.

With Deion Sanders as an engine of momentum, many would agree that the team would not have lost that game and would not lose in a similar situation again.