Raiders Passing on Shedeur Sanders Sent a Strong Message

   

After sending a third-round pick to the Seahawks for Geno Smith, the Raiders doubled down on their new starting quarterback with a two-year extension that most likely ties him to the team for the next two seasons.

Nevertheless, the Raiders were still expected to be in the market for a quarterback in the draft.

The Athletic’s Tashan Reed said prior to the draft the Raiders were still candidates to take a quarterback in the first round (although not many bought into that narrative). A mid-round quarterback made sense for the Raiders, though, and that quarterback could have easily been University of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.

With Tom Brady believed to be calling the shots at quarterback in Las Vegas, there was a clear link between Shedeur and the Raiders. Not only does Shedeur have an NIL deal with one of Brady’s brands, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion has also been one of Shedeur’s mentors.

Brady knows Shedeur and his family better than most NFL personnel people, and considering the relative need at quarterback in Vegas, it was not a good sign this weekend when the Raiders repeatedly avoided Shedeur.

A lot of theories have surfaced to why Shedeur fell in the draft (most being remarkably stupid), but Brady and the Raiders had every reason to draft Shedeur if there were not legitimate reasons to be concerned about his NFL trajectory.

It will be interesting to see who reports on Shedeur’s situation in Cleveland first, but it didn’t look like Browns GM Andrew Berry had an ounce of enthusiasm for drafting Shedeur just 50 spots after they spent a third-round pick on Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

After seeing the reaction in Cleveland live, it would be naive to believe ownership didn’t step in and make the Browns’ decision on Shedeur in the fifth round.

As ESPN’s Mel Kiper pointed out, it probably would have been better for Shedeur to go undrafted and able to pick his own team rather than be drafted into the situation waiting for him in Cleveland.

The good news for the Sanders family, though, is the draft is over and he can move forward with his career.

Shedeur will have the opportunity to silence his many critics and prove to all 32 NFL teams, including his mentor, Tom Brady, that they were foolish to pass on him repeatedly in the 2025 draft.