Deion Sanders Hiring NFL Coaches Byron Leftwich, Mike Zimmer To Colorado Buffaloes Staff?

Reporting showed no indication of what Leftwich's role would be had he joined the staff. However, many presumed he would either work with Colorado's quarterbacks, mainly the competing duo of Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis, or in a general advisory role for the offense.

Leftwich is a Super Bowl champion as both a player and coach, notably as quarterback Tom Brady's play-caller in 2021. His tenure ended somewhat prematurely, and he hasn't roamed the sidelines since the Bucs fired him in 2022.

With Tampa, Leftwich orchestrated top-three scoring offenses from 2019-22 before finishing No. 25 in 2022. He was a widely discussed head coaching candidate, but a promotion in the NFL never materialized

This past cycle, he interviewed for the New England Patriots head coaching job and the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator spot. Leftwich's seemingly cold feet with fall camp on Boulder's horizon could be due to a move back to the NFL still being very possible.

Meanwhile, Zimmer's status with the Colorado staff has been similarly wishy-washy. He allegedly followed Sanders to the Buffs in 2023 as a consultant and analyst after a year at Jackson State, but Zimmer quickly departed for one season as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator.

There, he coached alongside current Buffaloes defensive line coach Domata Peko.

Recently, Zimmer has made several appearances at Colorado practice. His relationship with Coach Prime dates back to his stint as Cowboys secondary coach in the 1990s, where he coached Sanders for five seasons.

Zimmer went on to have an extremely successful stint as the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive coordinator before the Minnesota Vikings hired him as head coach. He served for eight seasons, leading Minnesota to a 72-56-1 record and the NFC Championship game in 2017.

After a lengthy career in the pros as a defensive guru, Zimmer's role with Colorado would likely be in an advisory capacity. His son, Andrew Zimmer, is currently a special teams and offensive assistant with the Buffaloes.

As Sanders mentioned, adding Leftwich and Zimmer would be the cherries on top of a Colorado staff stacked with NFL experience. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, defensive coordinator Robert Livingston and a slew of position coaches and advisors know the next level and have instilled its principles throughout the program.