After sending a third-round pick to the Seahawks for Geno Smith, the Raiders doubled down on their new starting quarterback with a two-year extension that most likely ties him to the team for the next two seasons.
Nevertheless, the Raiders were still expected to be in the market for a quarterback in the draft.
The Athletic’s Tashan Reed said prior to the draft the Raiders were still candidates to take a quarterback in the first round (although not many bought into that narrative). A mid-round quarterback made sense for the Raiders, though, and that quarterback could have easily been University of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.
With Tom Brady believed to be calling the shots at quarterback in Las Vegas, there was a clear link between Shedeur and the Raiders. Not only does Shedeur have an NIL deal with one of Brady’s brands, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion has also been one of Shedeur’s mentors.
Brady knows Shedeur and his family better than most NFL personnel people, and considering the relative need at quarterback in Vegas, it was not a good sign this weekend when the Raiders repeatedly avoided Shedeur.
A lot of theories have surfaced to why Shedeur fell in the draft (most being remarkably stupid), but Brady and the Raiders had every reason to draft Shedeur if there were not legitimate reasons to be concerned about his NFL trajectory.
It will be interesting to see who reports on Shedeur’s situation in Cleveland first, but it didn’t look like Browns GM Andrew Berry had an ounce of enthusiasm for drafting Shedeur just 50 spots after they spent a third-round pick on Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
After seeing the reaction in Cleveland live, it would be naive to believe ownership didn’t step in and make the Browns’ decision on Shedeur in the fifth round.
As ESPN’s Mel Kiper pointed out, it probably would have been better for Shedeur to go undrafted and able to pick his own team rather than be drafted into the situation waiting for him in Cleveland.
The good news for the Sanders family, though, is the draft is over and he can move forward with his career.
Shedeur will have the opportunity to silence his many critics and prove to all 32 NFL teams, including his mentor, Tom Brady, that they were foolish to pass on him repeatedly in the 2025 draft.
x: @raidersbeat
Truth is, in a League where teams believe in the TOE principle (Talent over Everything) and forgiveness for Many different talented player blunders, Shedeur Sanders is just Not that Good!!!
FACT
It would seem from all the reports from ” other coaches and staff” that the kid had major attitude and it was all about Me, me. ME!
Look, we don’t need that drama, dud you hear him talk? No humility, maybe the 50lb chain he had in his neck was another sign, I don’t know, but I think we dodged a bullet
Mel kiper Jr had him rated number 1. Mel knows talent as good as anyone. Is he always right … no …but no one is . I saw him play a number times and thought he was good with a terrible offensive line . He did have Travis Hunter to throw to. I would have picked him with any of their picks after Jeanty. In the 4th round, it was a no brainer… why the hell not at that point?! If he doesn’t work out , no big deal. Then Geno is no spring chicken. Something else was going on here . I hope he proves everyone wrong , especially TB12. They should have taken him and Skattebo at picks 98 & 99… let’s how those two linemen compare to both in a couple of years .
All I gotta say is they better be right. They had plenty of chances to take a flyer on a guy who was considered a sure fire top 10 pick until a month ago, and the Raiders recent track record on veteran QBs is pretty lousy.
Better be right…. tenure defining decision by Spytek and Carroll (and plenty of other GMs around the league).
Brady knows him well in and out…all the negatives. A good mentor is null if the mentored is not a good listener and thinks he knows better. Teams do not want the extra baggage(Deion).
Tom Brady is as experienced as a personnel man as Shadeur is as an NFL QB. Which is to say, they’re not. Just because Brady was a great player does not mean he has some special scouting acumen as an advisor, or whatever his role with the team actually is.
Like I said, better be right. I don’t really understand the whole shooting to win now thing in general. They went 4-13 last year. Better coach in place now now, sure, but you can only put so much of 4-13 on a Head Coach. Overall, I thought their draft looked decent, but it all comes down to the QB situation.
This year qb class not great. Be better off waiting for next year to get qb in draft
No owner wanted a repeat of RGIII and his dad. Remember how that went. Flash forward, Deion Sr, interference, instructing on how to play Jr, what plays to call, etc. Jr’s draft downfall was directly related to Sr’s inability to remove his protective shield from over Jr. Honestly, he’s just an average qb once he gets into the league. After a season or two, then we’ll see. Jmo