Deion Sanders Seemingly Rules Out Two NFL Teams for Shedeur Sanders in 2025 NFL Draft

The 2025 NFL Draft is still six months away, but Deion Sanders is already clear about which teams are a no-go for his son Shedeur when he gets selected.

The Colorado Buffaloes quarterback is projected to be a first-round pick, possibly in the top three; therefore, a team like the Panthers or the Browns could very well land the 22-year-old prospect. However, NFL insider Todd McShay believes that the Sanders would pass on both.

“Do you think for a second, that Prime is going to allow his son to go to Cleveland or to Carolina? I think it is a legitimate conversation,” said the analyst on the McShay Show.

McShay further cited Eli Manning and John Elway’s examples to explain how Shedeur would want to get traded if either of these two struggling teams decided to pick him.

It turns out that Coach Prime himself agrees with this speculation, as he liked McShay’s video on Instagram. This serves as a seal of approval that indicates Shedeur will only go to a team that will provide him with a good environment to flourish.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Ringer (@ringer)

While these takes might sound harsh, there’s a reason why McShay threw shades at the two specific teams.

Ownership problem at Cleveland and Carolina?

It’s not the rosters or the coaching that are the glaring problems with the two teams, but rather the ownership. McShay echoed this sentiment during the show, even remarking that if his son were of the same football caliber as Shedeur, he wouldn’t want him to join the Browns or the Panthers. Both teams have a remarkably poor track record in how they have developed rookie quarterbacks over the years, he argued.

“But if there’s one place I don’t want him to go, simply because of ownership, not of the individuals there, not the coaching staff, not the personnel department, simply because of the ownership.”

The Panthers haven’t had an elite quarterback since Cam Newton and were even hasty in trading promising players like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. Their current signal-caller, Bryce Young, was the No. 1 pick but was switched to backup after struggling to find his footing on the field. Trade rumors surrounding the rookie have also started circulating on the internet.

Cleveland would be especially hungry in the upcoming draft, given Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury. Since his stats haven’t been impressive enough to lead the team to wins over the past three seasons, the team will likely draft a quarterback next year.

However, the way they didn’t re-sign veteran QB Joe Flacco, treated Baker Mayfield, and offered Watson the largest guaranteed contract despite all the allegations, raises questions about whether Shedeur would want to be part of such an organization.