Despite trading for Geno Smith in March, the Raiders needed a developmental quarterback going into the 2025 draft, and the quarterback everyone was linking to Tom Brady and the Raiders was Shedeur Sanders.
But when the dust settled on the 2025 draft, the Raiders passed on Sanders seven times. With Sanders on the board in the fourth round, the Raiders chose Tennessee wide receiver Dont’e Thornton and South Carolina defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway.
The Cleveland Browns rescued Sanders in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick, and as fate would have it, the Raiders will host the Browns at Allegiant Stadium for Sanders’ first NFL start.
For Sanders, who hasn’t been publicly critical of the Raiders for passing on him, week 12 will offer a special opportunity.
In his first career start, Sanders gets to face arguably the worst team in the NFL and has an opportunity to send a message to Brady, who clearly didn’t want him in the draft.
“It’s the NFL, so it’s always tough teams, but if you could dream it up this is the game you want to enter and get an opportunity,” former Colts safety Darius Butler said on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. “So this will be cool. [He’s] going against the team, the family knows Tom Brady, he has a relationship there. Obviously, the Raiders had an opportunity to draft him.”
Everything has been publicly cordial between the Brady and Sanders families since the draft, but there’s no question Shedeur and his family would love to make the Raiders pay for not drafting him.
It would be naive to believe Deion Sanders didn’t take offense to Brady dodging his son in the draft.
Meanwhile is Las Vegas, the Raiders are as far as they have ever been from finding a franchise quarterback and based on the way Pete Carroll continues to talk in press conferences, he plans to stand by Geno Smith until the choice isn’t his to make.
As for the other 23 players on the field on Sunday, this could be the week Myles Garrett puts himself in the Hall of Fame.
As bad as the Raiders’ offensive line has been playing in recent weeks, five sacks might be a disappointing day for Garrett.
x: @raidersbeat
What’s up with all the “Brady” stuff – what happened to Brady’s financial partner ? What happened to Richard Sherman ? Why is it media concocted that Brady is a partial decision maker ? If it is all true, I would bar him from any decisions because they seem a few quarts low
What’s up with all the “Brady” stuff – what happened to Brady’s financial partner ?
What happened to Richard Sherman ?
Why is it media concocted that Brady is a partial decision maker ?
If it is all true, I would bar him from any decisions because they seem a few quarts low
With everything that is known today, I can’t believe so-called writers have the audacity to think that anyone should’ve drafted him at all.
Shame, shame, shame (ring) shame, shame, shame (ring)
But you know what, the Raiders defense has a tendency to make scrub quarterbacks look like Hall of Famer’s.
FIRE BRENNAN CARROLL!