Deion Sanders Wanted Shedeur Sanders on This NFC Team, Not the Browns

The Cleveland Browns grabbed Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders with the 144th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft after trading up to make the selection, a surprising end to a draft that once had him projected as a potential early-round quarterback.

That landing spot matters because the pre-draft picture looked very different. Multiple teams, notably the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers, were publicly tied to Shedeur Sanders as plausible fits. Those conversations helped fuel expectations that he could land in the first two rounds.

Now, a new development has come to light as Deion Sanders, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Shedeur Sanders' father, revealed on the "Home Grown with David & Derek Carr" podcast another team he actually wanted his son to play for instead of the Browns.

"I wanted my son to be on the same team that you were on because I know what you would pour into him," speaking directly to Derek Carr, who played for the Las Vegas Raiders. "I really did want my son on the same team that you could guide him and lead him, I'm telling you, man."

Derek Carr, who spent 2014–2022 as the Raiders’ franchise quarterback and later played for the New Orleans Saints, announced his retirement on May 10, just two weeks after Shedeur Sanders’ draft night.