Deion Sanders says Shedeur will start for Browns this year, confirms his son turned down the Ravens during draft
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has a feeling his son Shedeur will start for the Cleveland Browns this season. Deion made that proclamation during an appearance on the "New Heights" podcast Monday, saying he's "got a feeling when it's going to go down."
Sanders made that statement after being asked what he's told Shedeur so far. Deion said he told his son to "be patient and be ready." Deion then said Shedeur's time is coming soon this year. Deion added that he had a prediction on when the Browns would make the switch, though was not pressed by hosts Jason Kelce or his brother Travis to provide details.
Deion then revealed and confirmed some draft interactions Shedeur had with teams. Deion claimed the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles all contacted Shedeur during the draft. The Eagles' interest in Shedeur was previously unknown before Deion spoke about it Monday.
Deion wouldn't go into specifics on Shedeur's conversation with Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome, but essentially confirmed a report that suggested Shedeur told the team he didn't want to sit behind Lamar Jackson for a decade.
"How in the world can somebody fault [Shedeur] for saying or thinking, 'Why in the world would I go back up Lamar for 10 more years,'" Sanders said. "I've never sat on the bench and said, 'Well, I learned a lot today.'"
Prior to the Browns' Week 3 game against the Ravens, a report emerged stating the Ravens contacted Shedeur about potentially taking the quarterback in the fifth round. Shedeur reportedly expressed concern about sitting behind Jackson and the team decided to go another way with the pick. A few selections later, the Browns took the plunge on Shedeur.
If playing time was Shedeur's main goal, the Browns do seem like the better choice. Long-time NFL veteran Joe Flacco is unlikely to start for the team the entire season, leaving only fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel as Sanders' main competition for the starting gig once the Browns move on from Flacco.
Still, if Shedeur is going to start this season, he'll need to prove he's a better option than Gabriel. That hasn't been the case thus far, as Sanders is listed at the No. 3 quarterback on the team's depth chart.
A lot can change over the course of a season, and Deion clearly believes things will work out, but Shedeur has a lot of work to do if he's going to live up to his dad's expectations and start an NFL game in 2025.
Being active on game day - something Sanders hasn't done yet - would be a good start.