Sep 20, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Deion Sanders Reacts to Son's Ravens Draft Report

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 11:00 AM ET

As if the Week 2 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns didn't already have enough emotion behind it, a report just hours before the game kicked off added even more fueld to the fire.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Ravens planned to select then-Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders early in the fifth round (No. 141 overall to be precise), but he turned them down as he felt he wouldn't have a chance to play with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson still in his prime. Instead, he went at No. 144 overall to the Cleveland Browns, where he felt he had a better chance to start.

Just over a week later, Deion Sanders — Shedeur's father, Colorado's head coach and a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback - confirmed that report to be true during an appearance on the "New Heights" podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce. He also shed some light on his son's thought process in turning down the Ravens.

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

"I played for Baltimore, so me and [former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome] are cool," Deion said. "We understood that whole conversation, and he wanted to talk to Shedeur as well as he wanted to talk to me. And I put Shedeur on the phone, and I don't want to say how it went, but how in the world can somebody fault him for saying or thinking, 'Why in the world would I go back up Lamar for 10 more years?'"

"I've never sat on the bench and said, 'Well, I learned a lot today.'"

It's understandable that Shedeur would want a better chance to start sooner, but unlike his father - who is possibly the greatest to ever play his position - he still has plenty of room to develop. If he was going to be a fifth-round pick anyway, learning from one of the best quarterbacks in the game today might not have been a bad play long-term.

Shedeur is now the Browns' third-string quarterback behind Ravens legend Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. However, Deion expects him to make his first NFL start by season's end.

"Be patient and be ready," Deion said. "You got to be ready when it's time. But when it's time, you're going to know. And it's coming up. I got a prediction. I ain't telling nobody. I got a feeling when it's going to go down. But it's going to go down this year. ... He's going to get a shot."

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: