NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter shares his thoughts on the Shedeur Sanders 2025 Draft drama and slams claims accusing team owners of “collusion.” Despite denying “collusion,” Carter still says “the system” taught Shedeur Sanders and his father, Deion Sanders, aka “Coach Prime,” “a great lesson.”
As we previously shared, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, like many, is accusing the 32 NFL team owners of collusion in Sanders’ case. Although Shedeur Sanders was drafted by the Cleveland Browns on April 26, it didn’t happen until the fifth round, marking him the 144th overall pick after the draft began on April 24.
The drama even caught the attention of President Donald Trump. He posted on Truth Social:
“What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID? Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise, and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!”
Stephen A. Smith Accuses 32 NFL Team Owners Of Collusion While Comparing Shedeur Sanders To Colin Kaepernick Amid 2025 Draft Drama
Joining Trump, on April 25, Stephen A. Smith first tweeted:
“This is a damn disgrace. How in the hell is @Shedeur not off the board, not drafted yet. Y’all still think this doesn’t have anything to do with teams hating on @DeionSanders. This kid is a firstrounder. In a different way, this is Kaepernick all over again…..being kept out. A damn disgrace. I don’t care what anyone says!”
Later that night, Stephen A. Smith then accused the NFL and its team owners of treating Shedeur Sanders like Colin Kaepernick and accusing them of collusion. He tweeted:
“Someone just texted me this message and they are absolutely correct: ‘This is a bad look for the NFL. This feels like Kaepernick-level collusion.’ All the hard work the NFL League Office puts in to eradicate these kinds of perceptions, only to turn around and watch as the OWNERS look like they’re colluding, messing up everything. What has been done to Shedeur will outshine everything else in this draft. We’ll never believe this is about just talent evaluation again.”
On April 26, Shedeur Sanders was finally selected and drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, 144th overall pick. While promoting a special edition of his self-titled YouTube show, Smith tweeted the link and said, “SHAME on you! Shedeur Sanders fell to the FIFTH round?” In the episode, Smith said:
“This is some bullsh*t. And I’m going to say that while in the same breath conceding and acknowledging that Shedeur Sanders is not blameless here. Primetime Deion Sanders is not blameless here. If you’re the National Football League, clearly it’s not about talent anymore, it’s about something else. And I’m going to tell you, I spent a large amount of the last 24 hours thinking about collusion. Because how in the hell does 32 teams in the National Football League pass on a quarterback that was universally recognized as one of the top three quarterbacks in the country entering this draft and 32 teams passed on him? Not once, not twice, not three times, but four different times they passed on him.”
Stephen A. Smith continued to explain why he believes the NFL team owners are guilty of collusion. He also mentioned Deion Sanders’ other son Shilo Sanders entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NFL Hall Of Famer Cris Carter Denies ‘Collusion’ Claims In Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft Drama
Combatting “collusion” claims against the 32 NFL teams, Hall of Famer Cris Carter argues that Shedeur Sanders did everything wrong leading up to the draft. While speaking on his podcast, ‘Fully Loaded,’ with co-host Shawn Meaike, Carter defended the NFL against “collusion” claims. He said:
“A number of things happened. The number one thing that didn’t happen was there was not a collusion message with the NFL owners. ‘Cause they wouldn’t be able to keep a secret like that. They wouldn’t be able to shut up about it. But, every owner is very, very selfish. Why would I do something to my detriment? If I need a quarterback and I think this kid is it—what he didn’t realize is that the guys who have fallen in the draft before, they all had unusual traits or superstar qualities.
Some other things happened that made them fall, but Shedeur and his family, they overplayed their hand. Them think 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 now. 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 feeling like he was very, very entitled.”
NFL Hall Of Famer Cris Carter Says Deion Sanders’ Pre-NFL Draft Moves Hurt Shedeur Sanders
While mentioning Shedeur Sanders’ “entitlement,” Cris Carter did admit that his tape and talent was good enough to get drafted early-on as a “first-rounder.” Furthermore, Carter said some of Deion Sanders’ business moves didn’t help Shedeur with the NFL, only during college at the University of Colorado. Carter also called into question Shedeur’s brand “Legendary,” claiming the League may not like him already branding himself a legend.
Cris Carter also spoke about Shedeur Sanders’ contract situation and said he missed out on a $30-40 million signing bonus by not being selected as a top 5 pick in the draft. He added that by missing out on the top 5 selection, he also misses out on the option year conversation for the next contract. He added, “Right now, he’s working check-to-check. He’s not going to get a big signing bonus. There’s not going to be a big guarantee. Any day they want to get rid of him, they can get rid of him.”
Appearing to actually prove one of Stephen A. Smith’s “collusion” points, Cris Carter told his co-host, “Let me tell you what he understands today. He ain’t running sh*t, okay? They taught him a great lesson. You don’t have this figured out. Your dad don’t have this figured out.” Meaike asked, “Who’s they? The NFL?” Carter said, “The system.” He continued to say he didn’t get drafted right, adding, “He threw away at least $30 to $50 million, at least!”
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