Here’s a cool move for Vonn Bell. On Saturday, the former New Orleans Saints draft pick announced he has joined the Colorado Buffaloes coaching staff under Deion Sanders. It’s a new direction for Bell’s football life, and it likely spells the end of his playing career.
Bell, 31, was out of football in 2025 after last playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024. He also spent time with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. Before his first stop in Cincinnati from 2020 to 2022, Bell was a third-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2016 NFL Draft. He started 45 of his 61 games in New Orleans, plus five Saints playoff games. All told he ended his NFL career with 139 regular season games played (117 starts), eight interceptions, 39 passes defensed, 16 forced fumbles and 12 fumble recoveries. He tallied 760 combined tackles (501 solo), 27 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and 28 quarterback hits. That’s a career anyone can be proud of.
Now he’ll get to share what he’s learned with the next generation. Colorado fell off after sending most of their passing offense to the NFL last season (Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders, LaJohntay Wester and Jimmy Horn), going from a 9-4 record to 3-9 with just one win in conference play. Bell will be coaching safeties in a Buffs secondary that gave up more yards than they gained, with just six interceptions in a dozen games. Good luck to Bell in what’s next.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Former Saints safety Vonn Bell coaching with Deion Sanders at Colorado
