Colorado faces $25.5m Sanders firing cost before 2027

Colorado faces a $25.5 million cost to fire Deion Sanders before 2027, Heavy said in a Yahoo Sports article published Nov. 8.

The figure matters because Sanders signed a five-year, $54 million extension in March 2025 that runs through the 2029 season. Heavy, citing Sports Illustrated, said the firing cost falls to $17.25 million in 2027.

The contract also cuts the other way if Sanders leaves voluntarily. Heavy said Sanders would owe Colorado $10 million if he took another FBS coaching job or an NFL position before Dec. 31, with the amount declining in later years.

“If Sanders is terminated before the end of 2026, SI says the cost is $25.5 million.”

ESPN’s Heather Dinich wrote when the extension was signed that the contract schedule listed $10 million for Sanders in 2025, $10 million in 2026, $11 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028 and $12 million in 2029.

Colorado’s rationale for the deal extended beyond wins and losses, according to Dinich’s March 2025 report. She wrote that the university cited Sanders’ effect on the school and Boulder, including a 20% rise in applications from a year earlier to more than 67,000.

Dinich also wrote that applications from prospective students identifying as Black or African American rose 50.5%, while applications from prospective non-white students rose 29.3%. Colorado sold out all but two home games the prior fall, and the university said home football games generated $93.9 million in direct economic impact for Boulder and $146.5 million in total regional economic impact.

Heavy framed the contract terms against Colorado’s continued struggles under Sanders after Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter moved to the NFL. The article pointed to Colorado’s Nov. 7 game at Arizona State, where it said the Buffaloes “put up pretty much no fight for most of the game.”

The reported buyout terms do not establish that Colorado is preparing to dismiss Sanders. They show the financial thresholds that would shape any decision by the school or by Sanders if another job became available.

Dec. 31 is the next dated marker in the reported departure clause. If Sanders leaves before then for another FBS coaching job or an NFL position, Heavy said he would owe Colorado $10 million.