Deion Sanders’ $54M Extension Comes Under Fire as CU Alum Questions Colorado’s Rushed Decision: “Too Early”

Deion Sanders has brought plenty of attention to Boulder since taking over, but the Buffs’ performance has landed the decisions surrounding his tenure under scrutiny. Colorado’s season has been far from smooth, with the Buffaloes dropping to 2–3. As the season progresses, Joel Klatt is not on board with the school’s decision to extend Coach Prime’s contract.

“I think every school errs in their negotiation with their head coaches because the ADs panic because the AD’s job is also tied to the success of that coach in particular if they hired that coach,” Klatt told Denver Sports104.3, when asked about whether CU erred in giving Coach Prime an extension. “I do think that contracts and extensions and raises are given far too early. They are given far too much guaranteed money in general, and I think this contract falls into that.”

Klatt’s criticisms are pointed less at Sanders and more at the timing of the deal. In his view, Colorado should have waited until it had seen enough success to justify a salary jump like this within 2 seasons.

Coach Prime arrived in Boulder in 2022 on a five-year, $29.5 million contract averaging $5.9 million annually. While his first season with the Buffs went a bit shaky, he found his footing in the 2024 season. In March 2025, the school decided to elevate Sanders’ salary, and he signed a five-year, $54.5 million contract after a successful 9–4 season.

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Since the contract was signed, Colorado’s performance has taken a dip. The Buffaloes finished the 2025 season with a disappointing 3–9 record. However, this performance wasn’t criticized as much at the time because Coach Prime was battling numerous health challenges. But the way this season is going, there is no safety net for Prime to fall back on if the record is the same as last year.

Klatt is not the only one who feels this way; even former NFL player Brandon Stokley shares a similar view on Coach Prime’s contract.

“Looks like it was a major mistake. FACTS. What’s the record going to be this year? I say 4 wins at the most. Who will Deion blame this year?” Stokley posted on X.

The opinions have drastically changed since the Northwestern loss. To start the campaign, Colorado got a gritty road win against Georgia Tech, followed by a victory over Weber State. However, things have fallen apart since then, with the Buffs losing back-t0-back conference games.

The biggest thorn for CU has been its quarterback. After 5 games, Coach Prime is still not sure about his signal-caller. Julian Lewis started the season, won two games, and then was benched at halftime against Baylor. Isaac Wilson impressed against the Bears, but he cost Colorado the game against Texas Tech with his second-half interceptions.

Moreover, Deion Sanders didn’t provide a good explanation of how Lewis didn’t play against the Red Raiders as a backup QB. That’s followed by rumors that Lewis may end up transferring after the season.

Even before this QB uncertainty, Coach Prime had to remove three players from his roster for disciplinary reasons after the Northwestern game. It doesn’t bode well for a team that has been criticized in the past for ‘culture’ issues.

Has Deion Sanders figured out an identity for Colorado? It’s only recently that he changed his approach to high-school recruiting. That begs the question: Did Colorado make the right decision to give Deion Sanders a contract extension?

Oklahoma is asking the same question with Brent Venables, and Texas A&M is also struggling after giving Mike Elko an extension. However, the Sooners and the Aggies know how their teams are supposed to look. In Deion Sanders’ case, that is still unclear.

“It depends on how the rest of the season goes. His record in four seasons in Boulder is 18-24. If Colorado wanted to fire him for losing too many games at the end of the season, it would owe him about $26 million to buy out his contract,” said USA Today’s Brent Schrotenboer in giving his opinion on the job security of Sanders.

A $26 million amount may seem steep, but it could still be a better option for CU than paying the much heavier price of another losing season.

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