Aflac Reaches Sponsorship Deal with University of Colorado Tied to Coach Deion Sanders

Aflac has signed a six-year sponsorship agreement with the University of Colorado (CU), which will see the insurance company’s logos featured prominently on the headset of head football coach Deion Sanders. This deal includes clauses for early termination should Sanders leave CU prior to its completion in 2028, or if Aflac decides to end its endorsement agreement with him.

Originally established with Buffalo Sports Properties (BSP), the agreement was amended in July 2023 to incorporate these specific conditions related to Sanders. Over the duration of the six-year contract, Aflac will disburse a total of $3.76 million from 2023 to 2029, as per a public records request. Last year, Aflac paid $177,500, while this year’s payment is set to exceed that significantly.

In the event that Sanders departs from CU before the completion of the agreement in 2029, the contract will automatically terminate at the conclusion of the following year, and Aflac’s final payment will be halved. For instance, if Sanders were to leave during the 2026-2027 season, the sponsorship would end following the 2027-2028 season, reducing Aflac’s last payment from $711,939 to approximately $339,019.

In addition to featuring on Sanders’ headset, the Aflac partnership includes various other brand displays around CU’s Folsom Field, such as on field-goal pads and two minutes of “rotational exposure” on all stadium LED signage.

It is common for sponsorship contracts in college athletics to include clauses tied to key coaches. An instance of this is Boise State’s apparel deal with Nike in 2012, which permitted Nike to decrease its payments if then-coach Chris Petersen left, due to a potential loss of value in the agreement.

CU’s collaborative branding efforts with Sanders also include a partnership with Nike to sell specific apparel items. For several months, this arrangement operated under an informal agreement while the parties negotiated special licensing terms.

Prior to their Thursday night match against North Dakota State, Aflac launched its annual college football coach advertising campaign featuring diverse personalities, including Sanders and former Alabama coach Nick Saban. The specifics of Sanders’ compensation for his role as an Aflac spokesperson remain undisclosed, as he is allowed to report these earnings only verbally to CU’s president and athletic director.

This sponsorship takes on an ironic significance, particularly given the issues faced last year concerning the disability insurance application for CU’s wide receiver Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is Deion Sanders’ son.