“Age of 3D chess”: Mike Florio believes Deion Sanders’ coaching stance is meant to “scare off the weak”

NFL analyst Mike Florio said that Colorado coach Deion Sanders is playing a game of strategy when speaking about his possible future in NFL coaching circles.

Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member, watched his coaching stock improve tremendously coming off Colorado's 9-4 campaign in 2024.

During his segment on "Pro Football Talk," Florio addressed Sanders' evolving stance on potentially coaching in the NFL.

"We are in an age of 3D chess where up is down and down is up and what I did yesterday is the opposite of what I'm doing today but I'm a genius for doing both of them," Florio said on Friday (01:15). "Deion said he would only coach his son and I thought this is a way to scare off the weak because only the weak will fail.

"This is a way to scare off the weak, the coaches who would be threatened by the spectre of Deion Sanders possibly taking that coach's job. If you are sufficiently insecure in your position that you would be worried either about Deion Sanders potentially taking your job you'd be signing your own pink slip potentially."

Sanders' statements about coaching have changed notably over time. In 2022, he told "60 Minutes" that he had "not one bit" of interest in NFL coaching. However, in a January interview on ABC's "GMA3: What You Need to Know," Sanders mentioned a specific condition for considering NFL coaching opportunities.

Deion Sanders: from draft protection to family package deal

NCAA Football: Colorado NFL Showcase - Source: Imagn

Deion Sanders modified his approach to protecting his sons in the NFL draft process. Last year, he suggested that he would steer quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter away from certain franchises. He also referenced "an Eli" — alluding to how Eli Manning forced a trade after being drafted.

"I've talked to all the parties of the teams that fit that description," Sanders said on Wednesday, via Yahoo Sports. "I'm not going in that direction right now because I know who they are. We've had kind of like a meeting of minds that they can establish trust. Some of those teams probably won't pick my sons anyway."

Sanders explained that his concerns centered on organizations with consistent problems.

"The front offices are consistently bad when they make not intelligent moves, when they find themselves in this place of picking early every year," Sanders said. "And you have opportunity to provoke change and you don't when opportunities are laying right there before you."

Reports have connected Sanders to potential NFL coaching positions with the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders. However, his NFL coaching interests appear firmly connected to his family.

"You know what? The only way I would consider is to coach my sons," Sanders said in January, via ABC.

Despite the NFL coaching speculation, Sanders recently signed a new contract to remain at Colorado long-term. It was a five-year contract that will nearly double his annual pay to $10 million or more through 2029.