Deion Sanders wants to add Byron Leftwich, Mike Zimmer to Colorado coaching staff

Colorado coach Deion Sanders wants to add a couple of assistant coaches with significant NFL experience to his staff.

Sanders said at Big 12 media days that he’s “praying” Byron Leftwich will agree to coach at Colorado, and that he wants Mike Zimmer on the staff as well.

“Our coaching staff, this is without Byron Leftwich, which I’m praying that he does the right thing, and Mike Zimmer, we have 160 years of NFL experience,” Sanders said. “With those two added, that’s 204 years of NFL experience. And I want those years.”

Although there was a report in March that Colorado had already hired Leftwich, Sanders’ comments made clear that Leftwich has not yet agreed to join the Buffaloes’ staff. Leftwich was a first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2003 and spent a decade as an NFL quarterback, and he has also been an NFL assistant coach, most recently as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022.

Zimmer was reportedly planning to retire this offseason, but Sanders would like him to change his mind about that. Zimmer is best known to football fans as the head coach of the Vikings from 2014 to 2021, but he also has a great deal of experience as an assistant, including working as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator last year, a previous stint as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator from 2000 to 2006, and defensive coordinator jobs in Atlanta and Cincinnati as well. After the Vikings fired him, Zimmer worked as a consultant for Sanders, first at Jackson State and then at Colorado. Zimmer’s nephew, Andrew Zimmer, is already on the Colorado staff as a quality control analyst.

Sanders has transformed Colorado into a high-profile program, and major NFL experience on his coaching staff has been a big part of that. Sanders also has Pro Football Hall of Famer…

Source link : https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/deion-sanders-wants-to-add-byron-leftwich-mike-zimmer-to-colorado-coaching-staff

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Publish date : 2025-07-11 08:12:00

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