Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said his son, Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter are prepared to pull an Eli Manning depending on the situation when they declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.
During a recent appearance on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast, Sanders — who previously said his son and Hunter will spend the 2024 season with Colorado before declaring for the draft — explained he knows where he wants them to play and “certain cities” are off the table.
“Top four,” the Hall of Fame cornerback said Friday when asked where he thinks Shedeur and Travis will be selected. “Anywhere from one through four. One of them is going to be [number] one… And the latter one will not go behind four.
“Now, all of this is subjective because I know where I kinda want them to go, and let’s not forget [Buffaloes safety] Shilo [Sanders], but I know where I want them to go. So, there are certain cities that ain’t gonna happen… It’s going to be an Eli. We ain’t doing it.”
Sanders was referring to when former Giants quarterback Eli Manning was the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft and informed the San Diego Chargers — who owned the top pick in the draft — that he did not want to play for them.
The Chargers selected Manning with the first overall pick but traded him less than an hour later to the Giants for Philip Rivers, whom New York picked at No. 4, and other draft selections.
Manning went on to win two Super Bowls with the Giants, winning the game’s MVP in both, and four Pro Bowl selections in his 16-season career with New York.
A similar situation occurred when John Elway didn’t want to play for the then-Baltimore Colts, which held the No. 1 pick in the 1983 draft.
The Colts selected Elway and dealt him to the Broncos. He then won two Super Bowls with Denver.
Although Sanders did not name the cities he would prefer his sons and Hunter not play in, he agreed with the hosts that the Eagles would be a “good fit.”
He also named San Francisco, Dallas, Washington and Baltimore as potential cities he would approve of them playing in — all of which are teams he played for during his 14-season career.
“There were certain cities that fit. Atlanta fit,” Sanders said, referring to when the Falcons selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. “And I want that for my kids. All of them. I want the right fit.”
As for why Atlanta was a fit for him, Sanders explained that he was fascinated by the people in the city.
“First of all it was the ethnicity because that was the first time I saw Black people in positions of authority [doctors, lawyers]… It blew my mind… It was real in Atlanta,” he said. “I had never seen anything like that in my life.”
Sanders’ comments came after he said earlier this month that he doesn’t want Shedeur to play in a cold-weather city.
“Like, I don’t want my kid [Shedeur] going nowhere cold next year,” he said during a recent appearance on Sirius XM Mad Dog Radio with Chris Russo. “He grew up in Texas. He played in Jackson, played in Colorado. Season’s over before it gets cold in Colorado. I’m just thinking way ahead. I don’t want that for him.”
Shedeur and Hunter both transferred from Jackson State to Colorado after Sanders became the Buffaloes’ head coach in December 2022.
The quarterback threw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns with three interceptions in his first season in Boulder.
Hunter was a starter on both sides of the ball and caught 57 passes for 721 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.
He also finished with three interceptions and 30 total tackles.
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III said Sanders’ remarks didn’t surprise him.
“The power shift is coming, so everyone needs to buckle up,” Griffin said recently on “Get Up” on ESPN before explaining how former USC quarterback Caleb Williams showed up to the 2024 NFL combine and didn’t participate. “… The players right now understand that they don’t have to do the status quote… because without the players, all of these sports leagues are nothing. This is the player empowerment age and you’re seeing it coming to the NFL.”