Aflac’s six-year sponsorship deal with the Colorado Buffaloes, which includes the insurance company’s logos adorning Deion Sanders’ headset, contains early termination language in the event Sanders leaves CU before 2028 or Aflac ends its separate, existing endorsement agreement with the coach.
Aflac’s original agreement with Buffalo Sports Properties (BSP), the Learfield subsidiary dedicated to CU athletics, was amended in July 2023 to include the additional provisions geared around Sanders. The deal pays $3.76 million over the six-year period from 2023 to 2029, according to a copy of the amended agreement obtained through a public records request. Last year, Aflac paid BSP $177,500, while the insurance company was due to fork over more than three times that this year.
In the event Sanders leaves CU prior to the deal’s completion in 2029, the agreement stipulates it would automatically terminate the subsequent year and that Aflac’s final annual payment would be cut in half. For example, if Sanders departed during the 2026-2027 season, the deal would automatically conclude after the 2027-2028 season and Aflac’s last remittance would be reduced from $711,939 to $339,019.00.
Beyond Sanders’ skull, the Aflac deal includes numerous other logo displays around CU’s Folsom Field, including field-goal padding and two minutes of “rotational exposure” on all of the stadium’s LED signage.
It’s not unheard of for sponsorship contracts in college sports to include specific opt-out clauses tied to prominent coaches. Boise State’s 2012 apparel deal with Nike, for example, allowed the sportswear giant to reduce cash payments to the school if then-football coach Chris Petersen left, due to “the diminution of value” that might come with his departure.
CU’s co-branding efforts with its famous football coach similarly include an arrangement with Nike to sell certain apparel. As Sportico previously reported, that situation operated for months under a “handshake agreement,” as the parties hashed out special licensing terms.
Ahead of Colorado’s home opener Thursday night against North Dakota State, Aflac kicked off its annual college football coach ad campaign featuring Sanders and former Alabama coach Nick Saban. It is not known how much Sanders is compensated from serving as a spokesperson for the Fortune 500 company. Though most college coaches submit yearly written reports detailing “athletically-related outside income,” as per NCAA rules, Sanders’ employment contract contains unusual language that allows him to only disclose these earnings verbally to the CU president and athletic director.
Sanders’ role as an insurance spokesperson is not without some irony, given the drama that transpired last year revolving around the disability insurance application process for CU wide receiver Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son.
