Colorado coach Deion Sanders said during his recent appearance on the “New Heights” podcast that his son, current Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, asked the Baltimore Ravens not to select him in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders revealed the information to the show’s hosts, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother, now-retired Eagles center Jason Kelce, while discussing reports that his son asked the Ravens not to pick him.
“I played for Baltimore, so me and (Ravens executive vice president) Ozzie (Newsome) are cool,” Sanders said. “We understood that whole conversation.
“He wanted to talk to Shedeur and wanted to talk to me. I put Shedeur on the phone…
“I don’t want to say how it went. But how in the world can somebody fault him for saying, er, thinking, ‘Why in the world would I go backup Lamar (Jackson) for 10 more years?’
“Who comes in with that mindset?”
Deion explains why Shedeur didn’t want to back up Lamar, and predicts he’ll start for the Browns THIS YEAR 👀
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW: https://t.co/GbxEpkYDSw pic.twitter.com/QwVtiZ1cvL
— New Heights (@newheightshow) September 22, 2025
Sanders also told the Kelce brothers that his son spoke with another team during the draft.
“Philly called us on draft day,” Sanders said. “They didn’t mention that. I just let a cat out of the bag.”
Earlier this month, Shedeur Sanders sidestepped questions about reports that he told the Ravens not to draft him.
“My response is I’m focused on the now,” Sanders said when asked about the report following Cleveland’s Week 2 loss to the Ravens. “I don’t really talk about anything in the past, and whatever happened in the past, it is what it is. I’m more focused on now, and I’m focused on this game we just had and figuring out how to move forward from that.”
The Browns took Sanders in the fifth round after spending a third-round pick on quarterback Dillon Gabriel in this year’s draft.
Shedeur Sanders is currently listed at No. 3 on the Browns depth chart behind Gabriel and starter Joe Flacco. However, his father, who coached him at Colorado and Jackson State, said he expects that his son will get a shot to play this season.
“It’s gonna go down this year,” Deion Sanders said. “He’s gonna get a shot.”
(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)