The Las Vegas Raiders have a good chance of selecting No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft to fill their massive need for a franchise quarterback. They also might be looking for a new head coach for next season and beyond.
The first part of the equation sets them up to draft Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, college football's best QB prospect That brings up a key question related to the second part: Can they also hire his father, Deion Sanders, straight from Boulder?
Flipping the Buffaloes' dynamic father-son duo to the Raiders is a real possibility, with Mark Davis leading Las Vegas' ownership and Tom Brady now being a part of it. Here's breaking down the potential of the package deal happening:
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Why the Raiders should draft Shedeur Sanders
This is the less complicated breakdown. The Raiders have had a bumpy transition from Derek Carr the past two seasons, from Jimmy Garoppolo to Aidan O'Connell to Gardner Minshew. They've seen enough and endured enough injuries to say they need to go after a rookie franchise QB for the first time since taking Carr in the second round of the 2014 draft.
It's uncertain what kind of offense the Raiders will run, as they've gone from Mick Lombardi to Bo Hardegree to Luke Getsy to Scott Turner at coordinator in the course of only two seasons. They have a chance to tailor their offense to the strong, accurate downfield passing of the younger Sanders. Working from scratch, they also should upgrade their skill positions, blocking, and running game to support him.
Sanders is standing out from Miami's Cam Ward, Alabama's Jalen Milroe, and the rest of the class with polish and pedigree. With the Patriots and Jaguars not taking a QB and likely the Panthers and Titans following suit, it may just come down to the Giants and Raiders in the Sanders sweepstakes.
Why the Raiders should try to hire Deion Sanders
Now that the Raiders are in Vegas, they should think about having "Prime Time" all the time with "Neon Deion" as their brightest star. Sanders is doing his best to get Shedeur into a special situation and should think about making another combined move with him, repeating the Jackson State to Colorado jump.
Sanders' deal with the Buffaloes was for five years, $29.5 million. Although money isn't as big of an issue for a former NFL superstar cornerback with an estimated net worth of $45 million, he is considered underpaid while averaging fewer than $6 million per season, In stark contrast, Andy Reid makes an NFL-high $20 million a season as the Chiefs' thrice-winning Super Bowl coach.
While Deion Sanders has built up some college cachet at Colorado as "Coach Prime," his profile would reach a whole new level in the NFL, almost matching his electric playing days with the Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins, and Ravens. Sanders' throwback prominent profile will be front and center with the Falcons playing at the Raiders on Monday night in Week 15.
Davis already has been courting Shedeur. For Deion, he must first decide whether Antonio Pierce needs to be replaced after going 2-11 so far in his first full-time season after finishing 5-4 in the interim at the end of last year.
Then it's up to Deion whether he wants to make the leap from Colorado with his two program-stamping stars, Shedeur and two-way sensation Travis Hunter, headed to the NFL. The Buffaloes failed to make the initial 12-team college football playoff, but with a new recruiting class, they could do so in the near future. Of course, the Sanders' hype could also wane, as the landscape of his current sport can make it more difficult, minus Shedeur and Hunter.
Should Davis and Sanders make the needed decisions, the Raiders hiring Sanders with the influence of Brady should be an almost no-brainer. The team, player, and coach fit would be too great to ignore. The Raiders with Sanders and Sanders can turn out to be the ultimate win-win situation.
