“I don’t know if I reached out to him (first), or he reached out to me,” the legendary former CU Buffs quarterback recalled to me by phone a few days ago. “I know (when) I reached out to him, he asked me if was in town. I said, ‘Yes, I’ll come up there.'”

This was late March or early April. The new Buffs athletic director and CU icon spoke for about 45 minutes on campus. Lovo laid out his vision for CU. They talked about Hagan’s legacy in Boulder, on and off the field.

“It went well,” Hagan said. “It was an opportunity to go up there and meet the new guy. He was awesome. It was good.”

It was cathartic, too, at least on Hagan’s end. At 56, still takes on life with a forward lean, still loves kids, still loves teaching. Darian’s heading into his third season as running backs coach at San Diego State, where former CU offensive coordinator Sean Lewis went 9-4 last fall with the Aztecs.

But for a couple years now, Hagan hasn’t exactly been sure where he stood with his alma mater. After two decades with CU football, the Buffs’ great wasn’t retained on the staff by new coach Deion Sanders. The university transitioned him to a non-coaching role when Coach Prime was hired in December 2022. Hagan had felt a little shut out when Sanders’ inner circle took charge and left CU to join Lewis’ staff in December 2023.

When the Buffs retired quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ No. 2 jersey in the spring of 2025, an honor that had bypassed great CU signal-callers such as Hagan and Kordell Stewart, it opened up old wounds again. So Lovo welcoming Hagan back to campus, a year later, Hagan felt, was a refreshing gesture.

“He’s a great dude,” the ex-Buffs QB said of the new Buffs administrator. “He made me feel good about CU.”

And when it comes to mending fences, that’s as good a start as any.

‘There shouldn’t be this contentious relationship between Buffs fans’

As Coach Prime heads into his fourth season in Boulder, CU football alumni remain divided. Not in their love for the Buffs. Not in their appreciation for what Sanders has done to elevate a program into the national conversation after Pac-12 irrelevance for more than a decade threatened to bury it.

It’s a perception thing. With the exception of a statue unveiling for former Buffs football coach Bill McCartney last year, a ceremony that wasn’t open to the public, many Buffs football alums feel as if CU athletics’ official position is that football at Folsom Field didn’t exist prior to Coach Prime. Which is funny, given that the Buffs won eight or more games 13 times from 1985-2005, a feat the current coaching staff has accomplished to date just once.

“Some of these new Buffs fans act as if CU didn’t play football before Coach Prime showed up,” said Brown, who was a second-team All-American linebacker at CU in 1992, when the Buffs went 9-2-1.

“And (yes), maybe CU wasn’t on the radar. But obviously, we’ve won national championships. We were among the top 15 (programs) in wins, all-time … and unfortunately, and with social media, as is often the case, things often turn ugly. So I’d love to see (Lovo) find a way to bring everybody together.

“Because we’re all Buffs fans. There shouldn’t be this contentious relationship between Buffs fans. And if I’ve got criticisms of Coach Prime’s program now, not only am I told I’m a terrible Buffs fan … but also, I’m asked, ‘What did I do for the program for the last 20 years?’ And I’m like, ‘Wow. Let me see. I’ve funded a scholarship. I’ve gone and I’ve talked to the team. I’ve done private coaching with players.’ The list is long. So the massive disconnect (on social media), I think, is unfortunately turning a lot of older fans off and away from the program. And that’s the exact opposite of what we need.”

The decision to retire 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter’s jersey before he had graduated, or even begun his NFL career, raised the eyebrows for several ex-CU football players from the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s. The jersey retirement for the program’s first Heisman winner, Rashaan Salaam, had taken years to come to fruition before its unveiling in 2017, not long after Salaam took his own life.

“It certainly didn’t help it at all,” Brown said. “Not only from an alumni standpoint, but (with) people within the building. If you can’t get a consensus within the building, that lets you know that it’s not being handled right. I don’t think anybody had any issue with a Heisman winner (Hunter) getting his number retired. But again, how it was handled, the timing of it, the pushing of it out there, even within (CU circles) over there, was not unanimous.”

Hagan, who was 28-5-2 as a Buffs starter and quarterbacked CU to a national runner-up spot in ’89 and to the program’s last national title in ’90, admitted to feeling hurt last year with the Hunter/Shedeur number retirements.

“Am I bitter or (anything) that my jersey’s not been retired?” Hagan reflected. “No. I’m not bitter at all. It would have been a nice gesture, but that doesn’t define who I am as a person. But, definitely, it would be awesome to walk in that stadium and see my name on a wall with other retired numbers.”

How can Lovo repair Buffs bridges that were recently burned? Former CU wide receiver and offensive coordinator says the Buffs A.D. would be wise to include more ’80s and ’90s football alumni in decisions such as retiring numbers going forward. And to more legacy tributes beyond a statue that’s tucked into one quiet corner of a practice field.

“I would tell (Lovo), it’s not about damage control at this point,” said Chiaverini, . “It’s about doing right by the guys who’ve earned the right to be up there.

“To me, there are deserving players like (Eric) Bieniemy and (Alfred) Williams and Hagan — the list goes on and on. Countless All-Americans that were on 10-win and 11-win teams that, as an alum of CU, they need to (do it) the right way. Alums should be involved in this conversation. They should be included in this conversation. Nothing against Travis or Shedeur. They’re both great players in CU history. I’m a fan of them both. And I’m actually a fan of Deion. My thing is … I think there’s got to be some transparency in the voting process.”

‘You can’t erase that history’

Hagan said he was told that former Buffs greats had to be All-Americans or national award winners.  That they had to wait a decade to be recognized.

He’s still waiting.

“What makes me feel good is, a lot of people say, ‘Man, I wish they would do the right thing and retire my number,'” Hagan laughed. “People tell me that all the time, but I’m not bringing up the subject.

“But I’m definitely for a committee to get these things right. (And) not just for myself — for Eric Bieniemy, Alfred Williams, Kanavis McGhee, Kordell Stewart. Somehow, they’ve got to get it right. And do it the right way. I think that would appease a lot of people.”

Former Buffs want more outreach, not less. Hagan walked away from his meeting with Lovo feeling that the new caretaker of CU athletics gets it, at least. And that meant a lot, given the previous 20 months.

“I can’t speak for everyone. I can speak for myself,” Hagan said. “I’m a little biased. But at the same time, that’s my alma mater, I love my alma mater, I want to see them do well.

“But I think what (Lovo) needs to do is galvanize some things to make the guys (who played at CU) feel special. Make them feel like what we did is still relevant. We accomplished some great things there, that I think, at some point, need to be recognized and (revisited) again. Because the things that we accomplished, you can’t erase that history.”

CU hosts Texas Tech on October 3. Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby has no business inside Folsom Field, unless he’s bought a ticket. Presumably with blood money from a three-team parlay that hit a few days earlier.

Sorsby is 22. He’s young. We’ve all done dumb stuff when we’re invincible during those young, dumb isolated moments. Sorsby, though? He’s a repeat offender, dodging accountability as if it were a blitzing linebacker.

According to court documents, the Texas native placed at least 40 wagers on Indiana football while he was a member of the Hoosiers. He reportedly used others’ online sportsbook accounts to place bets totaling roughly $90,000 over four years. He gambled in Bloomington. He gambled as a member of the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Basically, Brendan is the Art Schlichter of Generation Z. Remember Art? One of the great wasted careers in NFL history. Ohio State star. Drafted No. 4 overall by the Colts in 1982. Got the gambling bug as a teenager in small-town Ohio, an addiction that would ruin his life at almost every stop.

If only he had Sorsby’s lawyers. Or some friendly Texas judges.

On Monday, one of those justices, a man named Ken Curry, ruled that the NCAA would be causing “probable, imminent and irreparable injury” to Sorsby if it prevents him from playing this fall. Curry granted the young man a preliminary injunction that prevents NCAA brass from punishing Sorsby for violating — again, repeatedly — its rules on sports betting.

Now let’s get this out in the open first: The NCAA is a rotten, wage-fixing cartel that’s deserved, for years, to feel the wedgies that it’s been getting lately from the courts.

Just not this one. The NCAA was wrong to create the idea of a “student-athlete” as an indentured servant who would have to work sports as a full-time job while never being technically paid for that time and commitment.

Yet it was right to take a hard line on sports wagering, given the audience and devotion to its entertainment product. Much of the NCAA’s enforcement has been selective, arbitrary and occasionally silly. But if you don’t enforce competitive integrity, you might as well give up the ghost.

Now Texas Tech is haunting CU and the rest of the Buffs’ Big 12 peers. Oh, sure, Red Raiders officials will say they’re backing Sorsby to bring awareness and outreach to the cause of mental health, and how dare you shame an addict. Horse hockey. The Red Raiders are digging in their heels because said addict is a 6-foot-3 gunslinger who tossed 27 touchdowns at Cincy last year against just five interceptions while sporting a 140.8 lifetime passer rating as a collegian. If Brendan didn’t have NFL arm, Bubba Bootstraps would shrug and look the other way. Only now that it’s running with the blue bloods, Texas Tech wants back in the College Football Playoff again — and Sorsby is one of those keys that unlocks the penthouse.

“The injunction issued (Monday) regarding Brendan Sorsby is troubling,” new CU athletic director Fernando Lovo said in a prepared statement released earlier this week, “as his admitted actions are a clear violation of long-held standards of integrity in college athletics … this injunction is a clear affront to the competitive principles that have been the foundation of college sports for more than a century. We will continue to engage with the Big 12 Conference and our peers on this issue.”

Why? Tech didn’t consult with any of you when it came to picking up Sorsby, skeletons and all. Last July, the Red Raiders signed a five-star lineman, Felix Ojo, for what was reportedly a three-year, fully-guaranteed $5.1-million contract. Context: The No. 11 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft is slotted to make $5.26 million this fall.

If I’m Lovo, I don’t wait around for Big 12 commissioner Brent Yormark to grow a spine. I cancel anything I’ve got scheduled with Texas Tech, in all sports, until Sorsby is off the roster.

Then I call CSU athletic director John Weber.

How’s this for a twist in the tale? Instead of playing a dirty, tainted Red Raiders squad on Oct. 3, the Buffs should host rival CSU on Oct. 10. Bring back the Rocky Mountain Showdown three years early.

CU keeps that home game — now with potentially a bigger home gate, to boot. New CSU coach Jim Mora gets to tangle with his old pal Deion Sanders and gets a chance to shock the world, and put his stamp on the Front Range, in Year 1.

Before you laugh, look at the calendar. CU and CSU both have concurrent bye weeks on Oct. 10. The Buffs host Utah on Oct. 17. CSU visits Texas State on Oct. 15.

Now, granted, that’s a lousy turnaround for the Rams, given a Thursday nighter on the road. Ah, but lookie here: The Bobcats don’t play a game between Oct. 16 and Oct. 24. As recently as March, Texas State athletics presented the CSU tilt as a flexible date, Surely, CBS Sports Network can find something else to fill that prime-time Thursday night window.

Why not here? Why not now? The Buffs and Rams wrapped up a home-and-home, two-year mini-series in ’23 and ’24 that made Colorado the center of the college football universe. Studio shows from ESPN and FOX were tripping all over themselves for Front Range real estate. The games themselves featured biting coach-on-coach smack talk, sellout crowds and epic performances (Shedeur Sanders in ’23; Travis Hunter in ’24).

Which is why it’s a shame that there isn’t another CU-CSU football game on the docket until September 15, 2029, in Fort Collins. That’s a five-year gap — which would be the longest in the history of the rivalry since it was renewed in 1983. The Buffs and Rams have tussled 34 times in the last 43 years, with CU winning 26 of the matchups.

It’s too good, too juicy, to keep mothballed in the attic for this long. If activist judges are going to burn college football to the ground, you might as well dance in the ashes with the time it’s got left.

CU coach Deion Sanders loves his son and means well. But continued involvement in his career remains a problem.

Deion said Shedeur “went through hell” during his pre-draft process and rookie season in Cleveland, alleging that untruthful reporting contributed to the adversity and drama.

Shedeur, a record-setting quarterback in his two seasons in Boulder, fell to the fifth round after many mock drafts pegged him as a top 25 pick. Reporting citing NFL sources claimed that Shedeur bombed his combine interviews, causing the slide.

As a dad, Deion had every reason to be furious with these stories. Destroying a prospect’s character behind the veil of anonymity is bush league. But teams operate in vacuums. For Shedeur to drop to the 144th pick, something gave NFL teams pause, whether it was his skillset, traits or an aversion to distraction.

The Browns, looking for their quarterback of the future since Bernie Kosar, took him because they felt the reward outweighed the risk, that throwing another dart even after drafting Dillon Gabriel in the third round could pay off more than a backup at another position.

Following injuries and ineffectiveness from others, Shedeur got his shot, completing 56.6 % of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight games.

He is now in a quarterback competition with Deshaun Watson, given a fresh start by new coach Todd Monken.

By all accounts, Shedeur learned from his experience and is ready to compete for the starting job.

That is good news. The bad? Deion plans to travel to Cleveland to talk with Monken.

He says it would be under the guise of Shedeur’s former coach, not his father. But the optics are terrible. Shedeur is 24. A college graduate. This is his fight to fight.

“I can tell him a few things about (Shedeur), how to get him going,” Deion said. “That wasn’t asked of me a year ago. I don’t understand it. Even a guy like Travis Hunter being drafted to Jacksonville and I’ve had him for the last three (years), don’t you think you would want to talk to me to ask me what gets him going and what backs him off? You would want to know that. So, I anticipate, and I can’t wait to have that conversation with Coach Monken.”

Deion coached his son from Pop Warner through college. He prepared him. Now, he has to accept that he has been handed off to someone else.

You think Ty Simpson’s dad, Jason, the long-time coach at Tennessee Martin, wouldn’t want to sidle up to Rams boss Sean McVay during OTAs? Or that legendary high school coach Patrick Nix wouldn’t welcome standing next to Sean Payton at Broncos practice?

Those conversations are for fathers and sons after practice. Away from the field. No one is saying Deion should not communicate with Monken as the CU coach. Send him a text. Or an email. Anything else comes across as helicopter parenting, no matter how Prime frames the discussion.

Shedeur has talent. Let him prove it.

Punishment issued: Always intentional. It sure looks like the NFL punished Sean Payton. The Broncos’ opening six games are as tough as anyone can remember. Fortunately for Denver, the league did the Chargers and Chiefs no favors either. The Chargers must navigate a brutal seven-game stretch, starting in Week 3. But they got two gimmes at home to start the season with the Cardinals and Raiders and their aforementioned gauntlet includes a bye week. And the Chiefs’ final seven games feature three straight on the road at the Bills, Rams and Bengals.

Seven Degrees of Separation: Brett Kulak made history on Wednesday and remains part of it. The Avs veteran has a chance to become the latest teammate of Jaromir Jagr to appear in the Stanley Cup final, which has become a four-decade-plus tradition in the NHL. Kulak played with Jagr in Calgary during the 2017-18 season.

Every new face who shows up to the Broncos’ rookie minicamp has their own approach to pre-draft conditioning, leaving them in various stages of physical readiness for a three-day intensive weekend of football. Some, as Payton said, are in great shape. Some are so-so. And some, well — some need a Peloton.

Jonah Coleman does not need a Peloton.

The Broncos’ much-bandied fourth-round running back out of Washington, Coleman has looked “really good” at Denver’s rookie camp this weekend, Payton told reporters Saturday. In the locker room later, Coleman revealed the reason why: a combination of boxing, treadmill cardio, and running on the street in a sauna suit to decrease breathability. The 220-pound running back, after all, will have to adjust to the altitude in Denver.

Not terribly hard, as he’s shown before.

“I’ve been through anything and everything,” Coleman told reporters. “The last time I played here in Boulder — 11 carries, 180 (yards).”

It was actually 179, back when Coleman and Arizona came to Boulder in November 2023. The point stuck. That game, a 34-31 Wildcats win in the first year of the Shedeur Sanders era, was the first impression Coleman left on the state of Colorado before the Broncos landed on him two years later. He was a home-run hitter on that Saturday afternoon: runs of 21, 24, 49 and 54 yards.

The Broncos, though, drafted Coleman more for his ability to hit singles and doubles in an NFL offense. And his supplementary and third-down skills have stood out, two days into his time in Denver’s building.

“Most of the time, when you’re drafting or signing a college running back, there’s going to be a learning curve with protections,” Payton said Saturday. “Certainly the complexity, sometimes what they see. But that was his strong suit, when you were looking at his tape. Like, it����ap different than the rest of the class.”

In addition to the pass-protection hype, Coleman’s pass-catching skills were on full display on the second day of rookie minicamp. He dropped just one pass against 88 career collegiate catches, according to Pro Football Focus, and caught several in a variety of team situations Saturday. Coleman turned up the right sideline nicely on one flare screen in a seven-on-seven period, and ran so furiously on a screen in a later 11-on-11 period that he literally ran over one of his own offensive linemen.

Beyond Coleman, a number of drafted and undrafted rookies have made strong first impressions at the Broncos’ rookie minicamp. Here are four more things The Post learned about this incoming Denver class from observing Saturday’s session.

1. The Broncos like their rookies on the offensive front.

One massive takeaway: undrafted tackle Tyler Miller is a ����������������human being. The Iowa State product looks every bit of a near 6-foot-9 measurement, and started at right tackle for rookie units in 11-on-11 team periods. The Broncos and offensive-line coach Zach Strief found a winner in 2024 with 6-foot-7 tackle Frank Crum, who surprisingly cracked Denver’s roster as an undrafted rookie out of Wyoming in 2024; Miller could be next in the mold of large, under-the-radar but high-upside Broncos tackles.

Payton said Saturday that Denver was able to sign some undrafted offensive linemen that they had “draftable grades on.” That likely includes Miller. That could also include Weber State’s Gavin Ortega, a versatile 6-foot-5 piece who sports golden-blonde locks flowing from the back of his helmet. Throw that together with the Broncos’ fourth-round draftee Kage Casey, and there’s potential here.

“It’s an impressive-looking group,” Payton said.

Casey, notably, was playing left guard during team periods Saturday. That’s where he could fit in Denver long-term, as veteran LG Ben Powers is on the final year of his deal.

2. Cam Ross and Dane Key are the early WR favorites to stick past August. 

The two undrafted free agents authored two of the standout plays of minicamp. Ross, a well-traveled collegiate receiver who graduated from Virginia, showed off 4.42-second speed on a blazing deep ball — from veteran Nathan Peterman, no less. Key, the brother of Broncos safety Devon Key, fought off good coverage from UDFA cornerback Brent Austin to make a fantastic back-shoulder grab down the left sideline in a later 11-on-11 period.

It’ll be exceedingly difficult for either to make the initial 53-man roster, with the Broncos’ top five WRs set (Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Troy Franklin Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr.) and veterans Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Michael Bandy hanging around. The 6-foot-2 Key, though, could offer an upside practice-squad body. And Ross, in particular, caught coaches eyeballs’ Saturday. He’s much thicker than his 5-foot-9 frame suggests on paper.

“Speed and IQ,” Ross told The Post, asked what he feels he’s shown coaches. “Most important, I just want to show them I know where to line up and I know what I’m doing. For me, I take pride in that.”

3. Justin Joly is a younger Evan Engram, in style.

The Broncos moved up in the fifth round of the 2026 draft to pick the 6-foot-3 Joly as a classic F-type tight end, a receiver who can thrive with pre-snap movement and winning in open space. That’s the same reason they signed veteran Evan Engram in last year’s free agency. At first glance, Joly profiles quite similarly to the 31-year-old Engram, who faded in and out of offensive plans in a 50-catch 2025 season.

In team periods Saturday, Joly motioned around the slot and outside, similar to how Engram lined up throughout practices last year. And Joly’s ability to stick in Denver and compete with Engram in camp will ultimately come down to Payton’s trust in Joly as a blocker, as Engram was on the field in a blocking role for just 18% of his snaps in 2025.

Another potential differentiator: Joly’s ability as a vertical threat in the red zone. The NC State product had seven touchdowns on 49 catches last year, and authored a quiet highlight early in a receiving drill when he somehow leapt to tip a pass well behind him — and somehow snagged it while falling to the turf.

“If you want to put me in the backfield, if you want to put me anywhere on the field, I’ll do it,” Joly said, asked on his role. “Even if they want me to play defense. Just let me know, and I got you guys.”

4. Kurt Warner’s son may find his way back this summer.

After Bo Nix’s follow-up ankle procedure caused quite the stir in recent weeks, Payton said Nix could still end up throwing in minicamp later in June. He all but ruled Nix out for OTAs at the beginning of the month, though. It’s possible that the Broncos could just roll with the backup tandem of Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger, for however many periods Nix is sidelined.

In the meantime, though, Denver could take a long look back at a notable name at rookie minicamp Saturday: quarterback EJ Warner, the son of Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. The Fresno State product didn’t exactly wow with size — a visible tick shy of a 5-foot-11 pre-draft measurement — but displayed solid timing and kept the rhythm humming on Saturday.

“This Warner looks, reminds me a lot of Chase Daniel,” Payton said, referring to a former New Orleans backup in Daniel. “If you see his height, weight, size and speed, they’re very similar. He’s done a nice job. He’s done a very nice job.”

Mike Evans? Good luck!

Romeo Doubs? See ya!

Wan’Dale Robinson? Au revoir!

Christian Kirk? Adios!

The Broncos coach has what’s left of his heart in the right place. But he might want to get his eyes checked. Better yet, Payton might want to have the receivers they’re running it back with have their peepers looked at.

Only the Titans (who featured a rookie QB) and Browns (bad QBs, then Shedeur Sanders) elected to punt more times during the 2025 regular season than the Broncos did (75).

And only Jacksonville (8.0%) had a higher team drop rate than the Broncos’ 7.0%.

Don’t know about you, but if I’m sitting on a franchise quarterback on a rookie contract, I’d be sorely tempted to overpay in the short term now for a more sure-handed WR 2 or borderline WR 1. Alas.

“My brother’s the worst at this,” Payton had told reporters just before the 2024 trade deadline. “He’s the worst at free agency, and he’s the worst at the trade deadline. He just wants to see action. Then right after the action takes place, he never goes back and reflects and says, ‘Well, that was a bad signing,’ or, ‘That was a bad trade.’

“I say that, I kid him, but I think that there’s so much more that goes into it relative to whether you’re trading a player (or) acquiring a player. Contracts go into it, vision goes into it, and locker room goes into it. There are a lot of details that go into that.”

True. Fit matters, especially in a place as cold and cynical as an NFL locker room.

But culture can’t catch touchdown passes. Chemistry alone won’t move the chains.

And young, top-shelf quarterbacks on cost-friendly deals don’t last forever.

From 2020-2023, during Joe Burrows’ initial contract in Cincinnati, the Bengals reportedly spent $287 million on free-agent deals — an average of $71.78 million per year.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Chiefs in 2018, the second season of Patrick Mahomes’ rookie contract, spent $57.3 million on 26 players from outside their roster.

After the second year of Bo Nix’s current deal, the Broncos had, as of Monday afternoon, spent zippo on nada.

“Hope what we’ve got will get better” is a strategy, granted, although former Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt has seen how well that one usually works out. Payton’s putting a lot of faith in a good group of coaches to squeeze more out of the status quo. It’s putting a lot of faith in new offensive coordinator Davis Webb. It’s also putting a lot of faith in another first-year wideout, which is a risk in and of itself.

The Broncos have picks No. 30 (first round), No. 62 (second round) and No. 94 (third round) to lead off their 2026 NFL Draft haul. Seven wideouts were taken among picks 25-75 last spring, including Pat Bryant III to Denver at No. 74.

Their average stat line in 2025: 28 catches, 364 receiving yards, three touchdowns, two drops. Bryant has all kinds of size (6-foot-2, 204 pounds), catch radius, and upside, but his production last year (31 catches, 378 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, three drops), along with all the ups and downs that came along with it, proved fairly typical of rookies drafted around his salary slot.

You may not get more cap value in 2026 from, say, a Doubs, who grabbed 75 balls and six scores last fall and just inked a four-year, $68-millon deal with the Patriots. But you’ll almost certainly get more production, historically, when compared to a low-first-round-to-early-third-round rookie wideout.

“When you have a dominant O-line and a dominant defensive line, people want to come here,” left tackle Garett Bolles told us in January.

“We’ve got a great running back room, we’ve got great receivers. Obviously, we need some key players to come in and do what they need to do by getting points on the scoreboard. We got a phenomenal defense. We have everything we need. We just need a couple more playmakers, and sky’s the limit for this team.”

The sky here, sadly, remains only so high, so long as the Broncos value continuity over, well, math. Take Adam Trautman. Super dude. He was tied for 46th among NFL tight ends last season in receiving first downs with 11. Old friends Greg Dulchich and Noah Fant collected 14 and 13, respectively.

According to Spotrac.com, after his latest Broncos extension, That trio averaged 28.3 catches and 2.3 receiving scores last fall, if you’re curious. Trautman collected 20 and (checks notes) one, respectively.

A Payton quote from last August has been doing the rounds lately. Remember when the Broncos coach likened free agency to garage sale finds? In hindsight, it was a harbinger.

“My parents loved garage sale-ing,” Payton told reporters that day. “That was their deal, one thing they enjoyed together. And I think I had 10 couches growing up …

“So, they come home with a new couch, and you’d remove the old one. And you were so excited — it was a sectional — until you sat in the left corner, and it wiggled. And then you realized why it was a free agent.”

Tell that to Talanoa Hufanga. Fit may catch on. Culture may catch on. But if nobody can catch the darn football, what’s the point?

The not-so-bright ones are the wingtips who gave it to him. With money they didn’t have. And, again, money they might never, ever see.

“I don’t know anyone who’s just kind of ho-hum (on Coach Prime),” former Buffs quarterback Charles Johnson told me Friday. “People will respond (in a) ‘ho-hum’ way, but within two minutes of conversation, I know exactly where they’re coming from. Again, that’s the nature of who Deion is.

“There are no fence-sitters when it comes to Deion, frankly. And I happen to be a huge (Sanders) fan, a big advocate. And I have some of my best friends, some of my dear friends, who are not. It doesn’t cause a divide. This is clearly one of those situations where we can agree to disagree.”

The “situation” landed a few days ago, when one of Johnson’s friends, ex-Buffs great Christian Fauria,

“I’m just not a fan of the coach (at CU). I’m not. I’ll never be a fan of the coach … I love the school, and this isn’t me picking on Deion Sanders, because I picked on Joe Gibbs. The worst coach I ever had was Joe Gibbs. So me picking on Deion Sanders is nothing. I just don’t like the way he coaches football. I don’t think he’s very bright. I don’t think he can manage a game. I think there’s a lot of flash but there’s no substance. And he’s got a lot of people brainwashed.

“And we’ll see what he can do. But I’m just not a fan of him. Not a fan of his coaching style. Not a fan of his messaging. There’s a lot of things internally that I know about that I’m not a fan of. And it����ap just not worth my energy to sit there and follow it and go back and forth with the emperor-has-no-clothes crowd that support him, regardless of how stupid he is sometimes. So, yeah, that����ap the way I feel about it. And it bugs me that a lot of alumni just don’t speak up about it. They don’t say anything. But I will.”

Fauria went too far — and far too low — in attacking Sanders’ intelligence. The former starred for the Buffs from 1990-94 before a 13-year NFL career that included two Super Bowl victories as a member of the Patriots. Christian’s son Caleb was a tight end at CU from 2020-2023, a member of Coach Prime’s first Buffs team.

The younger Fauria left, eventually transferring to Delaware. To the uninitiated, those comments came off like a football father airing out old grievances.

“My son has absolutely nothing to do with it,” Fauria told me. “Everyone wants to kind of make that be the reason I’m critical, almost to rationalize it for themselves. ‘There’s no way he can say this on his own.'”

He did. And he meant it. But Fauria also said Friday that the “bright” part was taken out of context.

“I did not mean to imply Deion Sanders lacks intelligence overall,” Fauria wrote in an email. “As a marketer and self-promoter, he is a genius. He built an empire around his name and created a real revenue stream that benefits his entire family, especially his kids. That’s extraordinary and worth admiring.

“If you evaluate him strictly as a football coach, the guy who’s paid to be an expert in the game itself … you know, all those details that win or lose games on Saturdays … I’ll be polite and non-confrontational: I’d call that part of his profile a developmental need.”

The Buffs are 16-21 under Sanders, bouncing from four wins to nine to three. They’re also 1-4 over their last five games decided by seven points or fewer.

Coach Prime either blows up (2024) or blows it up (2023, 2025), and ne’er the twain. Sanders’ second year was the best by any CU coach since Rick Neuheisel’s 10 wins in 1996. After three seasons, his career record in Boulder looks eerily similar to Dan Hawkins’ 13-24 from 2006-2008.

Brennan Marion is Sanders’ third different offensive play-caller since February 2023. Robert Livingston is his second defensive coordinator in three years. Game management, especially when it’s late and close, is one narrative that refuses to go away.

A roster built largely through the transfer portal has made every Sanders CU team a spin of the roulette wheel. You’re never quite sure what you’re going to get — week to week, year to year. Some guys take off. Others check out.

So, yeah, Fauria’s fellow Buff football alums say his critiques of Sanders’ coaching are absolutely valid — especially after last season. And more than a few CU icons still shake their heads when they see Shedeur Sanders’ retired number (2) next to Rashaan Salaam’s and Byron White’s. They just could’ve done without the dad stuff.

“I love Christian; he’s always been a good man, a stand-up, character guy,” ex-CU tailback J.J. Flannigan told me by phone. “I do want to make sure I say that … he’s always showed me respect when he sees me, he makes sure to reach out, give me a hug. I have mad respect for Christian. I just think that comment (on intelligence) right there shouldn’t have been made. It sounds personal. As we say in sports, some things need to stay in the locker room.”

Fauria, 54, recently transitioned from the locker room to the classroom — he’s served as a “professional-in-residence” at Bryant University, a private school in Rhode Island, since the spring of 2025. Earlier this month, he took 10 students to the Super Bowl’s radio row at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Needless to say, the man’s social media accounts have been an interesting place over the last 72 hours.

“Oh my God, dude. Blowing up,” Fauria told me. “I’ve been screen-shotting them. I’m going to use them in my class.”

He also says his comments came from a place of love. Not for Sanders, necessarily. But for the university itself. For the Buffs beast he was a part of building.

“As a proud CU alum who just wants the Buffs to win big and stay relevant for the right reasons, I hope (Sanders) proves me dead wrong!” Fauria said via email. “I hope he shuts everybody up, builds something unstoppable in Boulder, and rubs it in my face. If he does, I’ll be the first one out front saying, ‘Job well done, Coach,’ and give him (credit). Until then, though … for the love of Bill McCartney… learn the (expletive) fight song!”

Bring that smoke.

“I think (what) ties into the comment that Christian made, there’s a bit of a cultural gap there,” Johnson said. “When there’s an individual who creates so much just guttural discomfort, because it’s so different, people repel against that. Coach Prime does that in spades. I think he thrives in creating discomfort.

“And some may say that discomfort is the first step toward progress. I’ve talked to (people), not about Christian’s comments, but about Coach Prime. As you can imagine, everyone has an opinion and a thought. And they’re all over the damn board.”

On Monday, he palled around with contemporaries at a Pro Bowl practice for the first time in his career. He’s up to walk the red carpet at Thursday’s NFL Honors ceremony, with the potential to win both the league’s inaugural Protector of the Year Award and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. And to cap off the most fruitful year of his professional life, Bolles was named the NFLPA’s 2026 Alan Page Community Award winner on Tuesday, honoring a player who “demonstrates a profound dedication” to impacting their community.

Across a few-minute speech — the baritone-voiced giant sniffling with every sentence — Bolles dove into his continued work and Colorado youth in the juvenile system in Arapahoe County. He’s helped remodel the classrooms at the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center in Centennial because he wanted their environment to feel more joyful. Less white walls. Less brown carpet.

Inside Broncos LT Garett Bolles’ work in Colorado juvenile detention system: ‘My life has done a complete 180’

"I want to encourage them," Bolles said in his speech. "Give them a why. Why they do what they do."

Bolles' own why has been set since his days playing for Utah, when he realized — as Greg Freeman recounted — that he could actually be good enough at football to have the influence he wanted to have. In 2011, Freeman picked up a troubled 19-year-old Bolles off the side of the road after he'd been kicked out of his childhood home. He and wife Emily adopted Bolles. There were "many times," Freeman recalled, when a young Bolles would sit at the top of their family's staircase, preparing for them to give him the boot, too.

They did not abandon him. They told him they wouldn't. And on Tuesday, the Freemans stood alongside Bolles, his wife, Emily, and their children on a stage in San Francisco, part of a life that has evolved beyond anyone's reasonable expectations.

"There's some shock to it," Freeman told The Post, after Bolles accepted his award. "But he's always had a heart worth of gold."

Bolles will now receive a donation of $100,000 from the NFLPA to his GB3 Foundation, which partnered with speech pathologist Jennie Bjorem to launch the Bjorem and Bolles Apraxia Training Center in Parker this past year. As his reach across the Colorado community continues to expand, Bolles had the best season of his NFL career in 2025, earning his first First-Team All-Pro nod. He was once a maligned first-round draft pick in Denver, sending groans through Empower Field at every holding call, before he began working with the Foote Center in 2020.

That is not by happenstance, to Bolles. His journeys as a player and as a man have intertwined.

"You talk about a legacy, you talk about – from the start to the finish," Bolles said. "And my quote is – it doesn’t matter how you start, matters how you finish. So continue pushing, continue to be the best version of yourself. And you never know when your name is going to get called. I just hung down. I just kept working, I just kept putting in the work. And it����ap paid off."

Enough, certainly, to bring him to San Francisco, where Bolles is soaking in every second of available Super Bowl shenanigans. On Monday, at an AFC Pro Bowl practice that wholly undermined the word "practice," the Broncos' left tackle hopped in at center and snapped a few balls to rookie QB Shedeur Sanders. And slung on a backwards cap. And then wheeled out and caught a touchdown in the end zone. He came away from the 45-minute period with a cheek-splitting grin and a message for the world, after the world saw him end up flat on his face in Week 7 when he flared out to try and catch an end-zone touchdown.

"I caught a touchdown. But it's gonna happen (Tuesday)," Bolles told The Denver Post, referring to the official Pro Bowl Games. "So then everybody will be able to see it.

"And then coach (Zach) Strief and coach SP," Bolles said, referring to Sean Payton, "back at home, he'll know that I can catch the ball. So don't ever doubt me again."

At the end of the day, though, this platform is a means to an end. In 2023, Bolles earned his first Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination. It meant more than "anything else," as Freeman said; more than the $82 million extension Bolles signed with the Broncos in 2024.

He'll have the chance to actually win the award on Thursday. For now, though, Tuesday's honor was enough of a measure to show just how far he's come.

"To have this family of his grow and become what it is," Freeman said, "is really special.”

We won’t lie: Your friendly neighborhood Grading The Week crew had our collective hearts in our throats during the first half of Nuggets-Clippers at Ball Arena late Friday night.

Would Nikola Jokic’s knee hold up? Did the three-time NBA MVP, the Front Range’s passing prodigy, our hoops hypnotist, still have the goods after a month off the floor?

By the fourth quarter, there wasn’t any doubt.

Floater? Still there.

Sombor Shuffle? Still sweet.

3-pointers from the top of the arc? Swish.

Behind-the-back-dribble to set up a floater in the lane? Money.

No-look passes to cutting teammates? Ask Peyton Watson, whose two-handed slam off a Joker dime with 4:05 left put the hosts up 113-97.

“I was not scared of it,” Jokic told reporters when asked about the left knee he’d hyperextended in Miami on Dec. 29. “I was not scared to use it or thinking about it when I was running or playing. So, I think that����ap a good sign that I’m ready.”

There were others, too. The 31 points. The 12 rebounds. The five assists. The three steals. The eight makes on 11 tries from the floor. All in a span of just 25 minutes. The Big Honey averages about 35 minutes per game. Which means if Jokic wasn’t on a “pitch count,” he was a pace for 43 points, 16 boards and seven assists. All after a month on the shelf.

Nikola Jokic’s return — A

Even the timing was classic Joker. The Nuggets won, 122-109. At one point, the Clippers clawed back, trimming Denver’s cushion to 100-95. Jokic then went on a 1-man, 8-2 scoring run, and his teardrop with 5:22 left put the Nuggets up 108-97.

The pick-and-roll was back, and Murray and the Joker had locked things down to the point where coach David Adelman emptied the bench for the final two minutes.

No, the Clippers aren’t the Thunder. They’re not exactly the Kings or Pelicans, either. The Clip Show hit the floor having won nine of its last 10 games. L.A. had scored fewer than 110 points during that stretch against one other team — Detroit (in a 98-92 win), because nobody really does that to the Pistons, either.

“I really think the One from upstairs protected me,” Jokic told reporters after the game. “And He knows that I did everything how it����ap supposed to be, and I was hoping He would protect me.”

If the Man upstairs takes requests, we’d love a little Light to shine on Aaron Gordon’s right hamstring and Christian Braun’s left ankle going forward. But with Joker rolling like he never left, any Miracles between now and Valentine’s Day would feel like we’re playing with Holy House Money.

Shedeur Sanders to the Pro Bowl — C

Team GTW would suggest reading the Pro Bowl its last rites after the whole Shedeur Sanders kerfuffle this week, but that ship sailed long ago. If a game we — and, frankly, most of the American viewing public — stopped caring about years ago wants to simply play for clicks from here on out, who are we to stop them?

The Pro Bowl itself — F

But if you’re going to go full popularity-contest-mode, Commissioner Goodell, can we make one suggestion? Don’t toe-dip into the idea of turning the Pro Bowl into sort of an MTV Rock N’ Jock clone. Steal that format outright. Have the NFL legends who’re coaching their respective teams draft random celebrities to play in the game. Have Shedeur throwing it to Timothee Chalamet on a seam route, for all we care. Just don’t prop it up as the best of the best anymore. Because that’s gone now. Just like those TV eyeballs.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not announced roster changes. Yahoo Sports was the first to report on Sanders’ addition.

The Cleveland Browns rookie was a fifth-round pick after many thought he would go earlier in the draft. Sanders played in eight games, and started the Browns’ final seven games, going 3-4. He had a 56.6% completion rate and 68.1 passer rating along with 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

New England’s Drake Maye, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo’s Josh Allen were on the original AFC roster when the selections were announced on Dec. 23.

Maye is unable to participate because of the Patriots advancing to the Super Bowl while Herbert and Allen dealt with injuries at the end of their seasons.

Other AFC quarterbacks, including Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Indianapolis’ Daniel Jones and Denver’s Bo Nix also suffered season-ending injuries. Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence was one of the top alternates, but Lawrence opted not to play in the event.

Sanders was not selected as one of the four alternate selections at quarterback when the rosters were first announced.

Finding players to fill out Pro Bowl rosters because of injuries has always been a challenge, but it has increased since the NFL did away with the exhibition full-contact all-star game format and went to a weeklong skills competition and flag football game beginning with the 2022 season.

Tyler Huntley made it as an alternate three years ago after throwing two touchdowns and three interceptions in four starts with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Pro Bowl Games will take place in San Francisco ahead of the Super Bowl. Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (NFC) and Steve Young (AFC) are the coaches for the flag football showdown on Feb. 3.

___

AP NFL:

Jordan Seaton wasn’t liked at CU. He was beloved. this past November.

On Tuesday morning, those hearts were broken.

College football is so, so, so, soooo broken right now.

Seaton, the biggest Buff in terms of sheer size (330 pounds) and importance (22 starts at left tackle), announced late Monday that he was entering the transfer portal.

“I never imagined this journey would come to a close in this way,” “but I am deeply grateful for every moment that led me here.”

A fresh start might be good for Seaton — and for his NFL draft stock. It’s not a good look for CU. Or for Deion Sanders, who treated the young man like one of his own.

. Seaton, a 5-star recruit and the No. 1 offensive line prospect in his prep class, announced his commitment on Fox Sports 1 in December 2023. He was a game-changer. A momentum-driver. A core piece.

He immediately ran with Shedeur Sanders like a bigger baby brother, then protected Shedeur’s blind side during the greatest single passing season in Buffs history. He was a captain in the making. An icon on the climb.

And now he’s … gone?

“Financially, it’s going to be good (for Seaton), I’ve got to believe,” , told me Tuesday. “It’s too bad for the Buffaloes. They’re losing a guy they would have liked to have kept.”

Let’s be clear: This was mostly about the bag. Had to be. Nobody announces a portal transfer a few days before the window closes on Friday unless another party swooped in with some serious cash.

But if Coach Prime can’t keep Seaton around, who can he keep? They’ve even been repped by the same agency, for pity’s sake. The tackle as of Tuesday was listed as one of

Monday’s announcement might have been just about business. But after the last two seasons, it felt more than a little personal, too.

And speaking of personal, the same CU faithful who called Seaton the next Penei Sewell 18 months ago . That the Buffs are better off.

Whether players are coming or going, the spin never ends.

Cooper told me he did feel that Seaton hit a wall late last season, even while the latter was apparently playing hurt. Other scouting services agreed — after netting a 67.2 overall grade (out of 100) from Pro Football Focus as a true freshman in 2024, Seaton’s overall mark dipped to 65.8 in 2025, with his run blocking grade (52.0 grade) dropping significantly from the year before (62.0). Although came away more impressed with last fall’s tape, noting that Seaton committed fewer penalties (four) and allowed fewer QB pressures (seven) in ’25 compared to what he’d charted while watching the kid’s 2024 film (14 penalties, 27 pressures).

“I think he’s got some work to do,” Cooper stressed. “He’s got definite upside. I think as (2025) progressed … his pass protection was pretty solid until the end of the year. He took a dip there. His run-blocking has never been that great.”

Once you take off your Blenders shades, it’s clear that coaching was a factor here, too.

Seaton, who’s entering his junior season, wants to throw his hat into the 2027 NFL Draft. Cooper says he’d give the kid a second-round grade based on his sophomore season. That’s not going to cut it.

“He’s got an NFL body,” Syvertsen said. “He’s got the goods. He’s tall. He’s long. He holds his weight exceptionally well. He’s got outstanding body control.”

Seaton’s also got one season to put better stuff on film for the real money at the next level. If you’re a CU fan, shouldn’t it concern you that he’d rather do it somewhere else?

Sanders has had three different sets of offensive line coach configurations in BoCo since 2023. Seaton has seen four different position coaches, technically, since early 2024. Phil Loadholt, now at Mississippi State, gave way to the trio of Gunnar White (offensive run game coordinator/offensive line), George Hegamin (assistant coach/offensive line) and ex-Buffs great Andre Gurode (assistant coach/offensive line) before last season.

“From the outside looking in, it just seems like the coaching staff is consistently bringing in new people, new faces, new celebrities,” Syvertsen continued. “It doesn’t feel like this coaching staff is there to truly develop guys.”

Was it the system? Haven’t heard a bad word about high-tempo Go-Go system, other than you’d better be in good shape and willing to run — hard — for it to fly.

Was it the culture? Seaton was supposed to be a pillar of the Coach Prime revival, the kind of guy you could build a program around. For the last 10 days, CU has been swapping big names and in and out like it’s 2023 all over again. But if you made a list of five guys the Buffs needed to keep around, ideally, Seaton would land at No. 1. Or No. 2.

Instead, he’s leaving another crack in the foundation. Leaving more questions. And leaving one very large, uncomfortable query in particular: Who’s going to have Julian Lewis’ back now?

There aren’t a lot of big men in the college free-agent pool left who can do what Seaton does when he’s healthy. The dude’s a snowplow with nimble feet and a mean streak. He’s the kind of blocker who becomes a cult legend, the kind of tackle a fun coach feel good about throwing the ball to in the end zone. The next eight on the list were already spoken for.

Some in Buffs Nation will tell you this week that Seaton’s no big loss. They’re fooling themselves. Tennessee wanted him. Alabama wanted him. Florida wanted him. Ohio State wanted him. Georgia. Miami. Michigan. Oregon. Penn State. USC, too. Will the last Louis turn out the lights?