Everyone knows Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is going to be on the Raiders’ radar over the next several months, but could his dad be in the conversation to make the move to Las Vegas, too?
Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin was adamant last month that Deion Sanders would take the Cowboys’ head coaching job if it was offered to him, and it’s fair to wonder if the elder Sanders would consider other NFL teams, as well.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler talked about Deion’s options in an insider piece this week, and according to Fowler, the Raiders are the NFL team that many believe makes the most sense for Sanders.
“One team comes up often when asking people around the league about a potential fit: the Las Vegas Raiders,” Fowler reported on Friday. “Las Vegas doesn’t have an opening, but this is a job people are watching closely, especially how the 2-10 Raiders finish the season under first-year coach Antonio Pierce. To Pierce’s credit, his team showed resolve in last week’s loss to the Chiefs. It was positioned to win the game with a field goal before a crushing botched snap resulted in a fumble.
“The belief among many in the league is that Tom Brady, now a minority owner of the Raiders, will have some level of influence over major decisions, and team owner Mark Davis will covet his knowledge and insight. If Brady is looking for a fellow GOAT, Sanders has a compelling case as the best cornerback in NFL history,” Fowler continued.
“If there’s one fit, it’s Vegas because of the culture there and the bright [Vegas] lights and Davis’ willingness to do something different,” an AFC executive told Fowler. “Not sure whether it would work, but it would be exciting.”
It seems like a long shot that Sanders will be an NFL coach this year, and one of the factors working against him is the idea that he will be able to coach his son. Unless the team Sanders hypothetically coaches own the first-overall pick, there’s no guarantee Shedeur is going to be the quarterback of that team.
In theory, Sanders could orchestrate a Manning-type maneuver to force Shedeur to the team he prefers, but that could turn into a complicated process.
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter talked about that dynamic this week on his daily podcast.
“If teams know the Raiders want [Shedeur], they will absolutely pick him and then trade him,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “NFL teams are not going to get swayed with ‘Don’t pick me, I’m not going there.’ I could see a team picking [him] and saying ‘Great. We’ll trade you and if we don’t trade you, then we keep you.”
If Sanders is interested in coaching in the NFL, the assumption is that he would want to coach Shedeur. That might not be the case, but it would probably take a perfect situation to take Sanders away from what he has built at the University of Colorado.
Deion to Vegas should be considered a long shot for now, but if a scenario develops where the Raiders “earn” the first pick in the draft, all bets are off on how the coaching situation in Las Vegas might play out.
Going into week 14, the Raiders (2-10) hold the second-overall pick in the draft as they don’t hold the tiebreaker with the 2-10 Jaguars. The tiebreaker with Jacksonville isn’t going to change, but the teams do play on December 22.
If the Raiders somehow lose to the Jaguars, there is still a chance they could lose the first pick because they only have one team with a winning record remaining on the schedule.
In week 18, the Raiders host the Chargers, but there is a chance the Chargers won’t be playing their starters in the game because of the playoffs starting the following week.
There is a lot that hat has to play out with the Raiders before the end of the season… and don’t forget Antonio Pierce still has time to convince ownership in Las Vegas that he deserves another year.
x: @raidersbeat
As a Raider fan I’m not sure I like the idea of one Sanders coming to Vegas let alone two.
No F’n way.
Coach was set up from the start of the season. Why change when you won 5 out of 6 at the end of the year. Doesn’t make sense does it!!
But you went out and got a new GM and OC and a pitiful QB, which my Coach wasn’t in favor of but you it his fault.
Come on let’s be reasonable. It didn’t work so it’s my Coaches fault. That’s a bunch of BS. We are not stupid and we know the reason why.