The reality for Shedeur Sanders is beginning to settle in, especially now that the reasons behind his draft-day slide are coming to light. There were rumors that Deion Sanders may have overplayed his hand, or that Shedeur didn’t perform well in interviews. As it turns out, all of those factors contributed to his fall.
For Sanders, slipping to the fifth round doesn’t just mean a smaller paycheck—it also signals that he might not be given a real opportunity to prove himself. In fact, Emmanuel Acho went so far as to label him “a camp body.”
Reports also suggest that Sanders came off as arrogant during his pre-draft interviews.
“Teams give you things to challenge you; they’ll have a player’s worst play ready for them and ask, ‘Why don’t you explain this?’ At one point, one of the few teams that were actually interested asked. Shedeur said, ‘Maybe I’m not the guy for you,’” Colin Cowherd said.
It seems the entire Sanders family misjudged the process—and it cost them.
“Shedeur and his family, they overplayed their hand," Cris Carter said. "Them thinking that he was in the same evaluation mode as Eli Manning, they didn't play that right. Them trying to narrow the teams that he was going to go to, that didn't do right. Not working out at the combine, that wasn't the right thing. His interview process—obviously he could have done a lot better in that. A lot of people left that meeting and felt he was very, very entitled.”
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Beyond the reputational hit, the financial loss is staggering—his NFL deal is reportedly missing up to $50 million Carter explained.
“He didn't get drafted right, it's no speculation ... we're through the draft, he threw away at least $30 to $50 million, at least.” Carter added.
The situation unfolding with the Sanders family mirrors the drama surrounding the Iamaleava family in the college football world. In both cases, poor decision-making has led to devastating financial consequences.