A few months before the 2025 NFL Draft, the narrative around Shedeur Sanders was clear: He’d go as high as the top 3 or fall somewhere in the 20s with one of the QB-needy teams. The Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants, the New Orleans Saints, or the Pittsburgh Steelers were expected to draft him. Some were confident the Giants were the most locked in.
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The belief was cemented after the 23-year-old visited their facilities, sported their merch, and threw the ball with their receiver ahead of the Draft. But Shedeur was snubbed by New York — and by all 31 other teams in the first round. The Giants even traded up to the 25th overall pick in a deal with the Texans, but chose to roll the dice on Jaxson Dart instead, despite many believing Shedeur had a higher ceiling.
The Buffs star went to the Browns in the fifth round as pick No. 144. The surprise wasn’t just that Sanders fell — it was how far he fell. His name was missing from every war room conversation, especially in New York. And while draft speculation is par for the course, a growing number of insiders and reports suggest that Sanders’ private meeting with the Giants played a major role in the snub.
Draft analyst Todd McShay was the first to float something concrete about this. Speaking on a podcast shortly after the draft, he revealed that Shedeur‘s meeting with the Giants didn’t go well at all.
“Shedeur didn’t have a great interview with Brian Daboll in a private visit,” McShay said. “An install package came in. Preparation wasn’t there for it. He got called out on it. Didn’t like that. Brian didn’t appreciate him not liking it.”
It was the kind of behind-the-scenes moment that doesn’t always make headlines. Especially when a team like the Giants is involved. Remember how they were the same team that wasn’t impressed by Jayden Daniels last year? That said, for Shedeur, things may have been worse.
As per the latest reports from the NFL and Giants Insider Wesley Steinberg, footage of Sanders’ Giants meeting exists. And it’s so damaging that the Browns and the Sanders family have threatened legal action if it’s released.
I’m told the footage of Shedeur Sanders’ meeting with the #Giants is so bad that both the #Browns and Sanders family have threatened legal action if it is published.
— Wesley Steinberg (@WesSteinberg) May 9, 2025
Steinberg’s report confirmed something fans had long joked about: there may be actual video proof of why the Giants snubbed Shedeur. Other teams might have found similar issues in the QB prospect. So naturally, most fans were eager to see the footage, one way or another.
“This video will find its way out of the Giants’ facility one way or another — and to the highest bidder. It’ll be an intern looking for a payday,” joked a fan.
“They cried when there was a harmless prank call; can only imagine the softy tears if they dropped the footage,” chimed in another, rather humorously.
The rest, meanwhile, believed that the Giants had no credible reason to publish the video of a player they did not select at the Draft. They believe it would be a truly sinister act if the Giants choose to do so.
“Tbh if the Giants do release the footage, it says more about them and how they operate than it would about Sanders,” wrote a fan.
“They’re right to not want that footage published. No team should publish any meeting footage for players they didn’t draft/sign, that’s tampering with another team’s player,” argued another.
They’re right to not want that footage published. No team should publish any meeting footage for players they didn’t draft/sign, that’s tampering with another team’s player.
— Keslovar (@keslovar) May 9, 2025
For now, no one from the Sanders camp or the Browns has publicly commented on Steinberg’s report. But with the Browns investing in Shedeur’s future, and the quarterback himself now facing the pressure of proving his critics wrong, the NFL world will be watching every move… and maybe every clip, very closely.
