Deion Sanders explains importance of relationship with Denver Broncos

First-year Colorado coach Deion Sanders jumped at the chance when Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson asked to work out at the Buffaloes’ facilities. Wilson and a few other Broncos teammates, including receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, spent two days in Boulder this past July working out both on the field and in the weight room.

Speaking in front of media Friday, Sanders, who himself spent 14 seasons in the NFL, opened up on how that opportunity came about. He also explained how valuable the experience was for his players as they hope to one day become pros themselves.

“First of all, Sean Payton and I are really tight,” Sanders said. “We’re really close. He’s a good man, great coach. I can’t wait to see what they do. Russell reached out and wanted to come over and bring some of the young men. We’re also familiar with a lot of the men that plays on that team. So for him to come over and want to use our facilities, it was a blessing because I want our kids to see what a pro looks like. How does a pro work? How do they go about their business? That was phenomenal for them to see two days straight.”

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Not only did players get to watch Wilson and the other, however. Colorado quarterback and Sanders’ son, Shedeur even got the opportunity to throw passes with Sutton a couple weeks after the Broncos’ initial visit.

As Deion Sanders aims to rebuild the Colorado program, he wants to keep the connection to the Broncos strong. With just under 30 miles separating Boulder and Denver, doing so shouldn’t be difficult. Wilson similarly expressed that it was “exciting” for him to be around the program in a recent podcast interview.

“I thank Russell and all the guys that came out,” Deion Sanders said. “The guys were so pleasant. Every last one of them shook my hand and thanked me for allowing them on our field. That was a blessing to us. They thought I was blessing them. They were blessing us because our kids got to see them come in the weight room and work out and go in the indoor and get some more workouts. They worked out for a length of time. That was really good. I wish we could do more of that in the next offseason.”

Sanders takes over a Buffaloes program that finished just 1-11 this past season and has made only two bowl games over the past 16 years. As he begins the challenge of restoring success to the team, his many connections will be a big help, and it’ll be interesting to see how things play out.

Colorado is set to kick off the Deion Sanders era on Sept. 2 against defending national runner-up TCU.