Michael Irvin Reveals Who He Wants to Coach the Cowboys (And It’s a Bad Idea)

The future of Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was always going to be a footnote to the 2024 season. However, with the team’s core and most of last year’s roster remaining, many thought it would not be the center of the conversation before the playoffs.

Sure, every Cowboys loss is analyzed on a national (and local) scale with a fine-toothed comb, but ultimately McCarthy should be judged on Dallas’ playoff success or lack thereof.

Well, with the team on track for a top-10 pick in the 2025 draft now that Dak Prescott is officially out for the season with his hamstring injury, McCarthy speculation is running rampant.

McCarthy’s seat is arguably the hottest in the NFL, and everyone has an opinion on who should replace him. Cowboys legend Michael Irvin is dismayed at how Dallas’ season has turned out, but he appears to have circled his top candidate to succeed McCarthy at the helm.

Irvin’s idea is admittedly hard to wrap our arms around.

On an episode of FS1’s Talk this weekIrvin made a not-so-subtle remark to Colorado head coach and former Cowboys superstar Deion Sanders. Irvin praised Sanders for his work in Colorado and made a smart pitch as to why he could succeed in his old stomping grounds.

“You’re encouraging people to be better than they really are (in Colorado), and can I contradict that because no place needs people to encourage people to be better than they really are except for Jerry Jones and Dallas Cowboys,” Irvin told Sanders.

Irvin is not the first – and he certainly won’t be the last – to recommend Sanders as McCarthy’s replacement. ESPN personality and noted Cowboys cynic Stephen A. Smith floated the idea First Takeonly he thinks Dallas should draft Shedeur Sanders in addition to hiring Deion.

The allure behind Deion coaching the Cowboys is undeniable. He already has a relationship with owner Jerry Jones, and his ability to motivate a locker room speaks for itself. He has turned Colorado into a national powerhouse. At 7-2, they are in contention for the College Football Playoff.

That said, Deion to Dallas is a terrible idea.

Not all college coaches are destined to thrive in the NFL. Sanders is a great recruiter and motivator, but is he ready to navigate the ins and outs of coaching at the professional level? Would his ego translate to an NFL locker room? Would he be willing to give up influence on personal decisions? Are he and Shedeur a package? If so, the idea is dead on arrival that Dallas just paid Dak Prescott.

We’d be happy to be wrong, but our gut tells us Sanders is best suited at the college level. If he feels he’s reached his ceiling at Colorado, there are countless powerhouse programs — like Florida State — that would back the brinks truck to hire him.

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