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FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones’ relationship with Deion Sanders goes back decades.
It began when he signed Sanders in 1995, which led to Dallas winning its third and most recent Super Bowl under Jones, and they’ve remained close over the years. That even extended to having a cursory conversation with Sanders about their head coach opening this offseason prior to going with promoted Brian Schottenheimer from his role as a non-play-calling offensive coordinator under predecessor Mike McCarthy.
That’s why when asked about Deion’s son and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders going undrafted through the first three rounds, Jones had a passionate answer about the Buffaloes quarterback’s character. He went from being a projected top-five pick earlier this offseason to undrafted on Days 1 and 2 despite leading college football with a 74% completions last season and earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors. He also set single-season Colorado records for passing yards (4,134) and passing touchdowns (37). CBS Sports rated Sanders as the 2025 class’s 28th-best overall prospect.
“First of all, I don’t want to make an evaluation, but we thought and evaluated him extremely high in this draft,” Jones said after Round 3. “Now obviously we have Dak at the highest-paid player in the league….
“With my firsthand knowledge of my relationship over the years with Deion, I’ve watched two or three ball games with his son. So with my knowledge of the family, I know that the character is there. It’s great character. It’s an unbelievable, competitive winning character for sports, OK? … Everything Deion has ever done, and by the way I’m a big believer in osmosis, a huge believer in osmosis. … So I’m a big person about the character of the Sanders family.”
Sanders likely won’t become a Cowboy because of Prescott’s established hold on the starting quarterback job entering the first season of a four-year, $240 contract extension, per Jones. However, Jones made it clear he’s happy to be a reference and pick up the phone for any other NFL team interested in selecting Sanders.
