Deion Sanders details Shedeur’s decision with Ravens, says his opportunity is coming soon

The Shedeur Sanders draft saga was one unlike anything else in NFL history. After having aspirations of being a top-10 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Colorado, he slipped out of the first round.

Then the second, then the third, then the fourth. The slide ended when the Cleveland Browns took him with the 144th overall selection in the fifth round. However, recent reports indicated that the Baltimore Ravens were interested in him, but the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year wasn’t interested in backing up two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.

Coach Prime joined the “New Heights” podcast with Jason and Travis Kielce recently, and explained part of Shedeur’s reasoning.

Deion explains why Shedeur didn't want to back up Lamar, and predicts he'll start for the Browns THIS YEAR 👀

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“Baltimore and the Browns. They forget, I played for Baltimore, so me and Ozzie [Newsome] are cool. So, we understood that whole conversation, and he wanted to talk to Shedeur as well as he wanted to me, and I put Shedeur on the phone. And Shedeur – I don’t want to say how it went — but, how in the world can somebody fault him for saying or thinking, ‘Why in the world would I go back up Lamar [Jackson] for 10 more years?’ I’ve never sat on the bench and said, ‘Well I learned a lot today,'” Sanders said.

Coach Prime also let it slip that the Philadelphia Eagles called them regarding Shedeur as well. They already have a solidified backup in Tanner McKee, so Sanders would’ve likely been the third string quarterback just like he is in Cleveland. Even though Shedeur is the third string who is dressing as the emergency signal caller on game days, his father is sensing that his time is coming soon.

“I got a prediction I ain’t telling nobody,” Deion said on the podcast. “I got a feeling when it’s gon’ go down, but it’s gon’ go down this year. Yeah, he gon’ get a shot.”

Dillon Gabriel is the backup behind Joe Flacco, who has been one of the worst quarterbacks in football through three weeks. He has the worst EPA/play among signal callers with at least 70 snaps and the second-lowest success rate (36.3%), as he’s just a hair ahead of Tennessee’s Cam Ward (35.54%). When the Browns’ brass realizes that it’s time for change, Gabriel will then be the main guy, but will Shedeur slide up to be the backup? Or will he stay as the third quarterback with Flacco as the backup?

It’s likely going to take multiple injuries for Shedeur to see the field in Cleveland this season. That organization continues to stress the fact that they have a long-term plan for both him and Gabriel, but it seems that their attention is more on the rookie out of Oregon. Nonetheless, Deion is still convinced that No. 12 will make his NFL debut in Cleveland at some point this season.

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