23 hours Ago By By Tyler King [email protected]
Shedeur Sanders knows situation is everything at the next level. It’s often what makes or breaks every quarterback in the NFL, regardless of talent level. The former Colorado star isn’t worried about everything that’s been said about him the last few months.
To him, it’s all he’s known as Deion Sanders' son. “Whenever I talk to all these coaches and the teams, they really don’t care about all the stuff people say on (social) media,” Sanders said after the Buffaloes’ “Ain’t Hard 2 Find” showcase Friday. Colorado wide receiver LaJohntay Wester, left, hugs quarterback Shedeur Sanders before they take part in passing drills during Colorado's NFL football pro day Friday, April 4, 2025, in Boulder, Colo.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski) “That’s why I don’t respond, that’s what I don’t say anything anymore. (NFL teams) care about ball and I don’t have any character issues, so I don’t know what the knock is. I’m just the darkhorse, I guess.
” There aren’t many darkhorses with his stat line, though. Sanders is coming off a senior year with over 4,100 passing yards and 37 touchdowns. In two years, he turned the Buffs from a 1-win team to a 9-win squad.
He’s eager to do the same in the NFL. He just doesn’t care where it is. “I could bring cameras and eyes anywhere I go,” Sanders said.
“I know the influence I have in society and on culture. Wherever I go, it’s definitely gonna be an improvement (from) what it was before I got there.” Still, some spots are better than others.
Here are the top five landing spots: New York Giants' head coach Brian Daboll yells during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Doesn’t it almost seem a little too perfect? While Sanders said he can bring star power to any city, is there any city better than the bright lights of the Big Apple? Sure, the Giants technically play their games in New Jersey, but Sanders feels like he was constructed in a QB lab to handle the New York media. GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll certainly seemed enamored with Sanders on Friday in Boulder. — Endorsement factor: Nike, Gatorade, Rolex.
.. you name it.
Picturing Shedeur’s face on a giant Times Square ad is something any football fan should be able to envision. — Can he win there? Malik Nabers might be the best young wide receiver in the NFL and the Giants spent in free agency to try and upgrade their struggling defense. Maybe Shedeur could lead N.
Y. down a similar path that Jayden Daniels did in Washington. — Tyler's take: Schoen and Daboll make the mistake of trusting Russell Wilson to save their jobs and pass on Sanders.
.. only to take CU two-way superstar Travis Hunter.
After helping lead the Philadelphia Eagles to victory in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday as offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore is introduced at a press conference as the head coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) in Metairie, La. Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025.
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton) We already know he looks good in black and gold, something Coach Prime pointed out Friday. Kellen Moore probably doesn’t want to start his first head coaching job with an aging veteran like Derek Carr and would probably jump at the opportunity to bring in a proven winner in Sanders if he falls far enough. — Endorsement factor: Bourbon Street isn’t Times Square, but seeing Shedeur as the new face of Popeyes or Raising Cane’s in the bayou is easy to picture.
— Can he win there? The Saints have a long way to go, but if they’re patient and add pieces to the Moore/Sanders combo over the next few years, the NFC South is probably the easiest division to build a quick contender in. — Tyler's take: After a much-dramatized slide out of the top five, this is where Sanders lands. Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll attends a news conference Monday, Jan.
27, 2025, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher) The Raiders would probably be No. 1 on this list if they hadn’t traded for (and given an extension to) Geno Smith earlier this offseason.
Tom Brady? Veteran coach Pete Carroll? It’s probably what Coach Prime wants, if he had his way. — Endorsement factor: This one writes itself. Shedeur’s face all over the Strip? Money, money, money for the Sanders family.
— Can he win there? Vegas is probably headed in the right direction now that Carroll is the adult in the room, but Sanders likely won’t be the one doing the winning for at least a year or two if he winds up with the Raiders. — Tyler's take: Vegas makes a big splash and continues to add to the offense with Heisman Trophy runner up and star Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu wears a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award sticker on his helmet during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec.
15, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) If Shedeur isn’t going to eventually replace Smith in Vegas, why not in Seattle? The Seahawks gave Sam Darnold a boat load of money this offseason, but that’s not exactly a long-term plan. If half of the league is going to make the mistake of passing on Shedeur, Seattle would be wise to make the long-term play and scoop him up.
— Endorsement factor: The rainy Pacific northwest probably isn’t what the Sanders family had in mind, but the Seahawks have one of the best fan bases in the league and would love to root for a player like Shedeur. — Can he win there? Seattle was the only 10-win team to miss the playoffs last season and that came with inconsistent QB play thanks to Smith’s injuries. Either Darnold or Sanders gets the Seahawks over the hump in 2025.
— Tyler's take: Shedeur is long gone by the time the Seahawks are on the clock. Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslem, right, looks on as players take part in passing drills during Colorado's NFL football pro day Friday, April 4, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) In an ideal world, the Browns would probably love to draft Shedeur’s buddy, Cam Ward.
But it feels like a lock the Miami QB goes No. 1 overall to the Titans and why we haven’t even included Tennessee on this list. Still, the Browns need a QB as bad as any team in the league and had every one of their top decision makers in Boulder to watch Shedeur put on a throwing clinic at his pro day.
— Endorsement factor: The city on the banks of Lake Erie have been searching for its defining superstar since LeBron James left seven years ago. Shedeur brings more star power than the entire No. 1 seed Cavaliers have combined.
— Can he win there? Every quarterback has tried (and failed) for the last two decades to make Cleveland a consistent winner. Maybe a Sanders is the best solution yet. — Tyler's take: Cleveland plays it safe and takes stud Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and pairs him with Myles Garrett to make the best defensive end duo the NFL has seen in a long time.
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