Shedeur Sanders indeed told the Baltimore Ravens not to draft him during the 2025 NFL draft. The young quarterback made it clear that he wanted to see the field and not be a backup to Lamar Jackson. This choice followed an honest discussion with his father, Deion Sanders, regarding Shedeur’s goals in the NFL.
Sanders—who played for Deion last year at Colorado—was looking for an undisputed path to the starting job. That message resonated with the Ravens, as they used their 141st pick to draft offensive lineman Carson Vinson. With this trade, the Cleveland Browns then traded up to the 144th pick to add Sanders to their 2023 roster.
Shedeur Sanders is third on Cleveland’s depth chart right now. He sits behind veteran Joe Flacco as well as fellow-rookie Dillon Gabriel. Despite this, Deion Sanders believes Shedeur has the potential to become a starting quarterback for the Browns in the near future.
That’s what they did to me on the third day of the draft,” Shedeur said, looking back at his own experience. It’s not something I really speak of in the past, and you know, whatever rose-colored glasses for me on what did happen before happened, and it’s over. I’m more focused on now.
In reality, Shedeur has been leading the scout team offense with Dillon Gabriel and Bailey Zappe trying to play catch up. His competitive spirit is still easy to see, particularly when you learn about his motivation — or lack thereof — to earn a starting job. In our podcast discussion with Stephen A. Smith featuring Bill Simmons recently, Smith echoed similar doubts about the longterm prospects of being a backup for an extended stretch.
I’ve never once been on the bench and thought, ‘Wow, I really learned something today. It’ll change the world.” Deion Sanders said recently on his visit to the players of the “New Heights” podcast, produced by Jason and Travis Kelce. This whole sentiment really drives home just how much Shedeur cares about the direction his career is heading.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Joe Flacco will be under center for the Browns’ Week 4 road game against the Detroit Lions. At the same time, Shedeur Sanders still has a bright future in front of him.
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