The Dallas Cowboys have interest in hiring Deion Sanders as their next head coach. Sanders all but confirmed as much when he told ESPN about his conversation with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, calling the opportunity “intriguing.”

The early connection has been enough to elevate Sanders to betting favorite to become Dallas’ next coach. Cowboys insider Ed Werder reported that Sanders would almost certainly accept the job if Jones offers it. For the sake of the team’s fans, he’d better. Sanders might be the only person who can save them.

For the last 30 years since Dallas won the Super Bowl in 1994, the team has been stuck in a state of arrested development, unable to advance further than the second round of the playoffs no matter how good it looks in the regular season. You can point to different reasons in different years, but the only constant in that time has been Jones, who continues to hold significant influence over the roster and team operations.

That power he so proudly wields is likely what’s been holding Dallas back. Just ask the players who complained to ESPN about the intrusive fan facility tours that Jones doesn’t seem to think is a problem, probably because they make him money. Or ask the quarterback who helped Jones win his only Super Bowl titles, Troy Aikman.

“As far as a coveted job, I don’t know that that’s accurate,” Aikman said on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown after the team split with Mike McCarthy. “I do think the Cowboys are obviously a high-profile team. Whoever is head coach of that team is certainly going to draw a lot of attention. But I think most football people that take over as a head coach, they want to do it on their terms. And that’s hard to do.”

You don’t have to read too deep into Aikman’s words to understand his point. Coaching the Cowboys doesn’t come on your terms. It comes with a sacrifice of some control.

So, what would it take for that to change? It’s possible there’s nothing that can make Jones give up decision-making for the team he’s owned since 1989. He was, after all, the owner when they won those three Super Bowls in the 90s. But if there was one thing that might persuade Jones to take a backseat, it’d be a hot coaching candidate who happens to also be one of the best players in Cowboys history who Jones has a personal relationship with. Someone he feels like he can trust. Someone like Deion Sanders.

It wouldn't be a first-time head coach like Kellen Moore, whom Jones likely already knows he can control from his previous stint in Dallas. Or a veteran coach like Bill Belichick, who would only clash with Jones over different decisions. It’d be the guy who knows how to massage Jones’ ego and make him feel like his input is valued, even when it’s not. Or, better yet, someone whose input Jones values.

Whether or not Sanders can actually be a good head coach at the professional level is another question. But he proved his mettle in the college ranks, leading Jackson State to back-to-back Black college football national championship games before taking a broken, one-win Colorado program to nine wins and a bowl game in just two years. He deserves the opportunity to find out.

Cowboys fans should hope Jones is doing everything he can to give Sanders that opportunity. It may be the best chance they have at saving their team.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Deion Sanders is the only person who can save the Cowboys