Deion Sanders Addresses ‘Pulling an Eli Manning’ With Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Future

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has hinted before that his son Shedeur Sanders may take a page out of the Eli Manning playbook and refuse to sign with the NFL team that drafts him if it’s not a place he or his father want him to go.

Most draft analysts have Shedeur projected as a first-round pick in the 2025 draft, and many believe he could be the first quarterback selected.

The problem with that is most of the teams drafting in the top 10 are typically NFL bottom-feeders, and the teams that will presumably need a QB next season — the Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans — likely don’t have the kind of weapons in place to support Shedeur that he and Deion would like.

And when Deion appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s “Night Cap” podcast on Sunday night, he addressed the elephant in the room regarding his son’s NFL future.

“[I’ll pull an] Eli, a Lavar Ball, a LeBron (James)…I’m pulling all of them” Deion said. “Honestly, we’ve talked about it ostensibly, I’ve talked to a multitude of (NFL) teams because they’re at practice every day, but I want what’s best for him, but I want him to be happy as well.

“You don’t really get to dictate where your son gets to go because there’s a draft process, but you know us, you know how we are. We know who ain’t trying to win in the NFL, you know who’s consistently in the basement year after year. You don’t want that situation for your kid or your family members.”

There’s no denying that Deion’s threat — as credible as it may or may not be — could potentially impact a team’s willingness to risk drafting Shedeur if it doesn’t believe it can sign him.

That could be the difference in Shedeur being a top-three pick and him falling to a later pick in the top 10. But if Shedeur ultimately does end up going to a down-on-their-luck team, Deion believes it’s a challenge he’s more than ready for.

“You got to understand, Shedeur, he’s suited for adversity,” Deion added. “All of our life we’ve been hated and mistreated and talked about and lied on and just nay-say all out life. He ain’t ever had the red carpet rolled out to him. … He had to earn everything he has, so he’s suited to go to a team that’s been up on adversity because that’s what he’s done all his life.”