Deion Sanders never needed the money. He never needed the prestige, the power, or the validation that comes with climbing the coaching ranks. Prime Time was a brand before NIL, a Hall of Famer before he ever picked up a whistle. Now, he stayed true to his word and remained at Colorado despite reported interest from NFL teams. The Dallas Cowboys. Stop chasing CP; he is “happy at Boulder.” Because Sanders “wanted to be the greatest. It wasn’t about the money.” Whether guiding his players at Colorado or inspiring the next generation as a life coach, it’s always the same. The thing is, Colorado needs him more than he needs Colorado. And that, right there, is why the Buffaloes are on the clock.

Coach Prime turned a lifeless 1-11 program into one of the most electric brands. He delivered the 2024 Heisman winner, developed potential top-five NFL Draft prospects, and took Colorado from an afterthought to a national phenomenon. Yet, while Deion Sanders’ impact is on par with the sport’s elite, his paycheck is not. He’s making $5.7 million a year—less than Kansas’ Lance Leipold ($7.5 million), Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy ($6.75 million), and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham ($6.5 million). That’s not just low. That’s an insult.

RJ Young, FOX Sports analyst on his The Number One College Football Show, laid it out clearly: “I’ve been curious about when and how we’re going to find out about Coach Prime getting his well extension… I mean, that dude deserves it more than I think most other college football coaches at this point.” The number Young floated? $10 million per year. And he might be underselling it.

The coaching market has spoken, and the going rate for elite leadership is skyrocketing. Ryan Day just secured a seven-year extension at Ohio State, bumping his salary to $12.5 million. Steve Sarkisian got his raise. Dabo Swinney is at $11 million. Kirby Smart sits at $13 million.

These are coaches leading powerhouse programs with deep-pocketed boosters, yet none of them have done what Sanders has in such a short amount of time. “You think about what he inherited,” Young continued. “I don’t know that there’s been a program in the Big 12 that has received more of an uptick in how people think about the program and how the program has performed.” The numbers back him up. RJ “found a statistic that I just thought was bonkers”—Colorado’s ticket revenue skyrocketed from $13 million in 2022 to a jaw-dropping $31.2 million in 2023.

Do the math; that’s a 140% jump in one year—directly tied to Sanders’ presence. And that’s not counting the bonkers stat Young highlighted: $343 million in earned media. That’s the kind of exposure programs dream of, and the kind that should come with a premium price tag. Sanders even earned a $250,000 bonus just from the media boom alone. His value isn’t just in wins—it’s in visibility, recruiting, and rebranding an entire institution.

Yet loyalty is a two-way street. If the Buffaloes want to keep him long-term, they need to pay him like the top-tier coach he is. And with Shedeur Sanders, Shilo Sanders, and Travis Hunter heading to the NFL, the pressure is even higher. Sanders has to rebuild again, and Colorado has to make it worth his while. Hired in December 2022 on a five-year deal, Sanders inherited a broken program and turned it into a contender. Colorado can’t afford to gamble with its future.

So what’s the holdup? Boulder just spent the last few weeks fearing the worst—Coach Prime bolting for the NFL. For a moment, Colorado fans had to face the reality of life after Sanders. But he stayed.

The Buffs are doing “whatever it takes” to keep Deion Sanders

Dallas Cowboys. Las Vegas Raiders. These weren’t just names tossed around for Shedeur’s NFL prospects, but Deion’s too! With both his sons potentially heading to the pros, rumors swirled that Coach Prime, who’s been coaching his boys since their Jackson State days, might also jump to the NFL. And as those rumors spread, Buffaloes fans made it crystal clear: Losing Coach Prime is a non-starter.

According to The Athletic, at least one die-hard supporter fired off an urgent email with the subject line:”Whatever it takes to KEEP Coach Prime!” That email wasn’t just sent into the void—it landed in the inboxes of some of Colorado’s biggest decision-makers, including university president Todd Saliman, athletic director Rick George, and the Board of Regents. The message? Fans are deeply invested in keeping Sanders at the helm.

Regent Wanda James doubled down on that sentiment, calling Sanders a “transformative force” in Boulder. And it seems like George is fully on board, responding with, “Keeping Coach Prime is obviously a big priority and pursuing excellence is important in all that we do.” And for all the obvious reasons above.