Tom Brady’s Las Vegas Raiders decided to pass on Shedeur Sanders not once, not twice, but four separate times during the 2025 NFL Draft, and that raised more than a few eyebrows. They went on to use their first-round pick on RB Ashton Jeanty while trading for veteran Geno Smith as their QB1.
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But now, as the team sits at 1-4 and Smith struggles to justify his $75 million price tag, that Sanders snub is facing heavier scrutiny than ever. The Raiders’ Week 5 40-6 humiliation against the Indianapolis Colts was just the latest in a string of brutal outings under HC Pete Carroll.
Smith, who turns 35 this week, has thrown a league-worst 9 interceptions through five games, with 5 picks in just the last two contests. And last but not least, the offense has looked lifeless, the offensive line has crumbled, and Carroll himself has admitted that he’s “processing it poorly.”
Naturally, for many fans, this collapse is exactly what they feared when minority owner Brady and company chose the aging Smith as the Raiders’ quarterback of the future, instead of drafting a young prospect like Sanders as backup. So now, as the team sits near the bottom of the AFC West again, social media voices are growing louder about what might have been.
One of those frustrated voices was NBA star and Oakland, California native Damian Lillard. He posted on “X” after the Raiders’ Sunday loss: “Time to go ahead and trade for Shedeur, man. SMFH.”
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Unsurprisingly, the tweet above went viral, prompting one fan to reply, “They had like four chances to draft him.” This is when Terrell Owens stepped in with a bombshell response. “Brady discourage that behind the scenes,” he wrote.
— Burner Boy (@MiraRoadKCChief) October 6, 2025
Owens’ claim has once again ignited a controversy that has been simmering since the draft.
Earlier this year, NFL insider Albert Breer revealed on The Rich Eisen Show that Brady, despite publicly saying he had “no role” in draft evaluations, had in fact flown in incognito to meet with Raiders’ staff and help assess quarterbacks. “He helped with their QB evaluation… He went through quarterbacks on tape with coaches and the front office,” Breer said.
That revelation alone was enough to raise eyebrows. But even back then, Owens affirmed the same notion that the GOAT had a big role in Raiders’ 2025 Draft, saying, “I just told someone the other day that Tom played Shedeur. I’m not surprised.”
The irony, of course, is that Tom Brady and Shedeur Sanders share a mentor-student bond. The Browns’ rookie has repeatedly spoken about how much he’s learned from the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
“He took me in his truck to this high school field… everything he said back then applies now, and that’s why I’m thankful for him,” Sanders recalled in February.
Yet in Las Vegas, that same connection has turned into a storyline of regret. Instead of grooming a young, moldable quarterback, the Raiders doubled down on an ageing Smith, and the results are disastrous.
And what makes it even more frustrating for fans is the fact that Shedeur Sanders isn’t being used to his fullest at Cleveland either, as he remains their QB3. Absolute waste of potential from both sides.
