When Bill Belichick left for the college coaching landscape in December, it appeared the NFL coaching cycle would lack a prominent figure guiding the search process. That perspective shifted on Monday night.

It was reported that Deion Sanders, the Colorado head coach, had reached out to Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who had earlier announced the team was moving on from Mike McCarthy after a five-year tenure. Sanders later confirmed this communication.

“Receiving a call from Jerry Jones is quite exciting, and it’s definitely intriguing,” Sanders shared with ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “I have great respect for Jerry. After reflecting on our conversation, it’s compelling. However, my love for Boulder and our team, coaches, student body, and the community remains strong.”

Even without a scheduled interview, two of the most notable entities in football coaching and American sports have found themselves mentioned together.

At 57, Sanders has successfully revitalized teams at Jackson State and Colorado. In his second season with the Buffaloes, he led them to a 9-4 record and helped Travis Hunter secure the Heisman Trophy. Given his successful coaching history and his Hall of Fame career as a cornerback for the Cowboys – where he contributed significantly to the team’s last Super Bowl victory in the 1995 season – it’s clear why there is interest from Dallas.

However, as Sanders likely understands, not all coaching positions are alike, especially those involving Jones, who oversees all operations related to “America’s Team.” While conversations between the two parties may continue, several significant challenges could arise or even jeopardize a potential agreement.

Here are seven reasons why Sanders’ prospects with the Cowboys might ultimately fall flat – though both parties may prove this analysis wrong in the weeks to come:

1. Obtaining Shedeur Sanders won’t be straightforward

Despite expression his willingness to stay in Boulder, Deion Sanders has hinted at interest in a specific scenario at the professional level.

“The only time I would consider an NFL role is if I could coach my sons,” Sanders remarked recently on “GMA3: What You Need to Know.”

He clarified that this involves both of his football-playing sons: Shedeur, the quarterback who won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and Shilo, a safety.

Jones has been known to encourage family involvement in careers – just look at his appearance in “Landman” for proof. Finding a way to bring Shilo on board shouldn’t be excessively challenging for any team aiming for the Sanders family. However, acquiring Shedeur may be an unattainable goal for Dallas.

Setting aside the Dak Prescott situation for a moment – we’ll return to that. The Cowboys currently hold the 12th pick in April’s NFL Draft. In contrast, Shedeur is expected to be a top-three pick in a draft lacking proven starting quarterbacks. To move up to one of the top two slots currently owned by the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, the Cowboys might have to offer a package comparable to what the Chicago Bears did two years ago, which included wide receiver DJ Moore, the No. 9 pick, an additional first-rounder that would become the top pick in 2024, and two second-round picks.

This would be quite a lot to ask in any negotiation, especially since Jones wouldn’t have much negotiating power if he tried to trade up. However, this scenario seems unlikely, particularly for the reason outlined in point No. 2.

2. Moving Dak Prescott is not a viable option

Jones recently made Prescott the highest-paid player in league history with a four-year, $240 million deal just over four months ago. Even after a difficult 7-10 season in which Prescott faced a season-ending hamstring injury, parting ways with the 2023 MVP runner-up and one of his all-time favorites in pursuit of an emerging, yet untested talent would be quite a dramatic shift for Jones.

Furthermore, it is practically impossible.

If Prescott is traded before June 1, the team faces a whopping $103.2 million dead cap hit, according to Over The Cap, exceeding the record $85 million cap hit the Denver Broncos suffered when they released Russell Wilson.

Additionally, Prescott has a no-trade clause, which effectively blocks any chance of pairing him with Shedeur in Dallas.

3. Roster constraints

Facing obstacles in acquiring Shedeur would just be one of the many player recruitment challenges Deion is likely to encounter.

At Colorado, Sanders swiftly transformed the team’s roster to his liking via the transfer portal. However, in Dallas, he would mainly inherit players remaining from McCarthy’s tenure, with Jones consistently refusing to surrender his GM powers and ignoring calls for a comprehensive team reset. Given that the Cowboys are expected to be just over the salary cap, based on Over The Cap’s forecast, it’s highly likely Jones will once again explain why the team will remain inactive in free agency once more.

4. Financial considerations may not favor Jones

Bringing Sanders on board would involve an $8 million buyout from Colorado, which may be a tough pill for the budget-conscious Jones to swallow, especially after the last two coaches’ contracts expired under his watch.

Negotiations with Jones could present challenges, given his hesitance toward absorbing dead money for coaching staff, which he discussed last summer regarding McCarthy’s lack of contract extension.

5. The lack of experience

While Jones may be prepared to take a leap of faith following his experience with McCarthy, the majority of his coaching selections over the last several years have been seasoned professionals. The urgency to win remains paramount.

Like any college coach without previous experience in the NFL, Sanders would likely face a learning curve when making the transition. Would Jones have the patience for this given the caliber of his veteran roster?

6. Finding the right coaching staff may be difficult

Unlike Jim Harbaugh, Sanders doesn’t have established professional contacts or a seasoned support staff to quickly put together a team of capable assistants. His most skilled aide for this potential transition would likely be offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, whose teams ranked near the bottom in scoring during three of his final four years as head coach for the New York Giants and offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos.

Can he effectively rejuvenate an offense that has lost its spark, beyond just leveraging the connection between Prescott and CeeDee Lamb? While Sanders may try to keep some of McCarthy’s coaching staff to facilitate an easier transition, the CEO-like head coach might struggle to attract the right coaching support, particularly in his first year.

7. The discussions might be advantageous for both, regardless of the outcome

Realistically, it makes sense for both Sanders and Jones to entertain this opportunity. However, the benefits of these conversations don’t necessarily rely on reaching an agreement.

Sanders, who indicated in November that he has his “kickstand down” in Boulder, appears to be in line for a contract extension after exceeding expectations in just two years of a five-year, $29.5 million deal. Exploring career opportunities with the 82-year-old owner, who can afford to spend his estimated net worth of $16.6 billion on coaching salaries, could only benefit Sanders.

On the other hand, with the Cowboys in the spotlight during the NFL playoffs, Jones is set to dominate sports discussions in the upcoming days.

Remember what he told ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler regarding the Cowboys’ numerous fan tours.

“The fact that you and I are discussing an issue that seems contentious, from your perspective, is part of a strategy to generate interest,” Jones remarked, as noted by Kahler. “This will create considerable excitement.”

At the very least, for now, Jones and Sanders have achieved precisely that.