Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been one of the most fascinating players to follow during the 2025 NFL Draft cycle. Largely viewed as the second-best quarterback in the draft, it’s unclear where he’ll ultimately be selected. Recently, he’s been connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It sounds like there are some teams that Sanders could be happier to end up with than others. Sanders’ father and college coach, legendary NFL cornerback Deion Sanders, recently broke down what makes some NFL teams less-desirable destinations for his son.
“The front offices are consistently bad,” Sanders said on Yahoo Sports’ YouTube channel. “When they make not intelligent moves. When they find themselves in this place of picking early every year. And you have an opportunity to provoke change, and you don’t when the opportunity is laying right there before you.”
There’s been speculation that Sanders and his father could tell certain NFL teams that he won’t play for them if they draft him. Eli Manning did something similar before he was drafted. Although there’s no telling if that will actually happen with Sanders, based on what his father is saying, it sounds like he would prefer to go to a more stable environment.
That could explain why Sanders could fall on draft day. Look at the teams picking near the top of the draft. The Tennessee Titans have the first pick, but it looks like they’re locked in on Cam Ward. The next quarterback-needy teams up that have been tied to Sanders are the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants, and the New Orleans Saints.
The Browns’ track record of front office ineptitude speaks for itself. They’re used to picking at the top of the draft. The Browns also made arguably the worst trade in NFL history when they acquired Deshaun Watson.
The Giants have a stronger history in the modern NFL, but lately, they’ve also been a mess. They’ve had three general managers in the last 10 years, also often picking near the top of the draft. In the last decade, they’ve only made the playoffs twice.
The Saints are a little more stable. Since Drew Brees retired, they’ve had more issues, but that isn’t surprising. Most teams go through growing pains after they lose their franchise quarterback. However, they haven’t hit rock bottom. Mickey Loomis has been their general manager since 2oo2, helping the Saints remain extremely consistent.
Therefore, the Saints might be the Steelers’ biggest competition for Sanders if no team trades up for him. The Steelers don’t fit the elder Sanders’ criteria for an undesirable destination at all. They haven’t been bad enough to earn a top-10 pick since 2000. Although they’ve felt stuck in mediocrity recently, the Steelers have still been a model of consistency and stability in the NFL.
Maybe that could help them land Sanders. If teams don’t think Sanders would play for them, they could go in a different direction. Sanders looks like a fine prospect, but he doesn’t seem like a generational one. In a weak quarterback draft class, teams might be fine passing on him.
