Deion Sanders was the biggest winner of Week 1 of the 2023 college football season. After completely overhauling Colorado's roster in the offseason, the Buffaloes squad rolled into Fort Worth, near Sanders' former stomping grounds of Dallas, Texas when he was high stepping into end zones for the Dallas Cowboys, and took down the 17th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs. Colorado was just 1-11 last year, but they've already managed to match that total and take down a team that made the National Championship eight months ago in just one game.

It's only been one game, but the work Sanders has done already at Colorado, as well as what he did at Jackson State, has gotten everyone's attention, including teams in the NFL. If Sanders continues to lead Colorado to success, you can bet that NFL teams will be circling him in hopes of convincing him to make the jump to the NFL.

Sanders finding his way to the NFL isn't an outrageous idea. The question is: who would be the team to actually lure him away from the Buffaloes? Most teams in the NFL seem settled on their coach, but a lot can change over the course of a full season's worth of football, and there will certainly be openings in January. Three teams, in particular, could have head coaching openings and could look to Sanders as their next head coach. Let's see who those teams are.

Arizona Cardinals

A speech that Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon made to his team recently went viral… for all the wrong reasons. It went viral mostly because of how stale it looked and the fact that his players weren't exactly riled up by what he was saying.

Compare and contrast that with how Deion Sanders hyped up his team before their matchup with TCU.

https://twitter.com/SinktheKraken4/status/1698782647529419134?s=20

Yes, it's a bit easier to rile up college kids compared to grown men. And hype speeches are hardly the quality that differentiates a great coach from a bad one, but that's a notable difference. Gannon hasn't even coached a game for the Cardinals yet, but his tenure with the team has gotten off to a weird start. Philadelphia Eagles fans couldn't wait for Gannon to leave their staff as defensive coordinator, and while the Eagles did have a great defense in 2022, they got lit up by the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57.

On top of that, the Cardinals are going to be bad during the 2023 season. Though Gannon was hired to a five-year contract, if this year goes poorly, that hasn't stopped teams from dumping a coach after one season before. The Cardinals could have two top-five picks next offseason, and it's very possible that they will be looking for a new head coach again next offseason. If that ends up being the case Sanders should be at the top of the list.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Todd Bowles has a great track record as a defensive coordinator, but not so much as a head coach. Bowles has a 34-50 record as a head coach in the NFL, and lost the only playoff game he made it to. Bowles hasn't had the most successful tenure as a head coach, but he's also a bit too risk averse, which is typically the case with defensive-minded coaches such as Bowles.

For example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were held back by their offensive ingenuity a year ago, as their offensive line was decimated by injuries. The Bucs were at their best when they operated a no-huddle offense, but Bowles stuck by conventional coaching wisdom and deployed his no-huddle offense only when it was absolutely necessary .

Tampa is also in a year of transition. Tom Brady retired, so it's clear that this team is not the contender that they were the last few seasons. Taking a step back and bringing in a new voice could be what this team needs as they look to retool, and that voice could very well end up being Sanders.

Washington Commanders

If there's a team that would make the most sense to go after Deion Sanders, it would be the Washington Commanders. Head coach Ron Rivera's tenure in the nation's capital has been largely underwhelming, and while they did win the NFC East during his first season in charge, they've finished below .500 in every season under Rivera's stewardship.

On top of that, the Commanders finally changed ownership, which is worth noting because this current ownership group, led by Josh Harris and Magic Johnson, didn't hire Rivera. If the team underwhelms again, they could look to make a big splash. If that's their goal, there isn't a splashier name out there than Sanders. Washington should absolutely take a look at “Prime Time” if they struggle again in 2023.