The University of Colorado recently extended Deion Sanders’ existing contract through the 2029 season.

After banking $5.7 million last year, Coach Prime signed a new deal that tacks on two more years to an original contract that ran through 2027 and nearly doubles his annual pay to $10 million annually.

He becomes one of nine head college football coaches that will pull in eight digits a year.

My question is: Why?

Since taking the reins in Boulder, Sanders wasted little time by gutting the existing roster and effectively treating the transfer portal like an opening-day turnstile.

Despite overhyping a program that, at times, resembled a traveling circus, his two campaigns yielded mixed results, including a misleading and pedestrian 13-12 record.

After getting off to an attention-getting 3-0 start in 2023, the Buffaloes proceeded to drop seven of their final eight games — understandable given the schedule they faced was deemed the 10th toughest in the country.

Last year’s 9-4 record was significant in that it represented just the fourth time in the past 20 years the school finished with a winning season, but a closer look reveals this dramatic improvement occurred while playing a markedly easier schedule.

Following Deion’s maiden Division I voyage, Colorado fled the now-defunct Pac-12 and found a home in the watered-down Big 12 Conference, which essentially lost all credibility a few years ago after Oklahoma and Texas bolted for the greener pastures of the SEC.

Traditional powers like Oregon and USC fell off the schedule and were replaced with Utah, UCF and Cincinnati — notable since each of these schools posted identically disappointing 5-7 records in 2024.

The Buffs dropped the only two games they played against ranked opponents, a 31-28 loss at home to No. 18 Kansas State and a 36-14 Alamo Bowl pasting courtesy of No. 17 BYU.

Regarding the latter, apparently the only thing Colorado brass remembered at the Alamo was to authorize the largest insurance policy coverage in college football history so that Deion’s son, Shedeur, and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter could suit up for the game.

Colorado officials cited privacy laws as reasons why they failed to disclose the amount of coverage each athlete received, and judging by the final score it wasn’t exactly a wise investment.

When it came time for the NFL Draft, at least Hunter showed that he is a desirable commodity while Shedeur Sanders fell to the fifth round.

Understanding why guys like Jimbo Fisher and Lincoln Riley inked lucrative long-term deals is easy. Both had previously orchestrated national championships and led teams to multiple CFP appearances.

In contrast, Coach Prime’s body of work at this level is a solitary winning season against reduced competition.

To me, this rather limited sample size does not warrant vaulting him into the pay-scale stratosphere.

At Colorado, the message is clear — showmanship matters. Find ways to put more feet in our seats and we’ll absolutely make it worth your while. Our primary focus are the results at the box office, not on the field.

Crowd size, not wins and losses, is the primary measuring stick in Boulder. Use whatever means necessary to rekindle the interest, to rebuild the brand and we will reward you handsomely.

The media hype surrounding Deion Sanders helps generate artificial noise and steers our attention towards what is a slightly improved but average football program.

As long as college sports continues to trend more and more towards entertainment, fans may be left with more sizzle and less steak.

Contz was a starting offensive tackle on Penn State’s first national championship team in 1982 and played six NFL seasons with New Orleans and Cleveland. He published a book in 2017, “When the Lions Roared: Joe Paterno and One of College Football’s Greatest Teams.” He resides in Pittsburgh.