In March, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggested that the supposed slide of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock was at least somewhat related to fears NFL coaches may have about possibly losing their jobs to Colorado coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father, as early as January 2026.
For an article published on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter addressed Florio’s take.
“Any coach who drafts (Shedeur) Sanders better be comfortable with his standing within the organization,” Schefter explained. “Because if that team struggles and the fan base is calling for a coaching change, speculation will start to swirl about Sanders’ father taking over. Though Deion recently finalized a five-year, $54M contract extension, his buyout is not overly restrictive. It starts at $12M if he leaves before Dec. 31, 2025, then drops to $10M if he leaves in 2026, $6M in 2027, $4M in 2028 and $3M in 2029.”
Shedeur Sanders was heavily linked with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, two teams with head coaches who could be on the hot seat later this year, at the time that Florio shared the Deion theory. As of the Monday after Easter, the Browns were expected to select Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter with the draft’s second pick. Meanwhile, many reporters believe the Giants will grab Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3.
The New Orleans Saints have a need at quarterback, a first-year head coach in Kellen Moore and the ability to make a signal-caller the draft’s ninth overall choice. However, Schefter revealed that “there still is a healthy dose of skepticism the Saints are interested in Sanders at No. 9” and that “there is a belief around the league that the Saints are more interested in using a high pick on an offensive or defensive lineman.”
Schefter thinks the Saints could target Jaxson Dart either in the second round or via a trade that would result in New Orleans moving back into the first round. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reportedly could “advocate” for his team to take Sanders with the draft’s 21st pick, but Steelers reporter Mike DeFabo of The Athletic thinks Pittsburgh will wait and choose Ohio State’s Will Howard in the fourth round.
Tomlin is expected to hold onto his job through at least the start of the 2026 campaign.
For what it’s worth, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Saints as the betting favorites at +195 odds to draft Sanders at some point during the player-selection process as of Monday morning. A Cleveland club that may be willing to move back into the first round for a quarterback was second on the list at +250 odds, followed by Pittsburgh (+275).
