The 2024 NFL Draft is about a month away but there’s already been some big talk about the 2025 version and how some of the biggest prospects might try to undermine it.
Colorado Buffalos head coach Deion Sanders has made it clear that he wants his players to control where they end up next year.
“I know where I want them to go,” Deion Sanders told the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast last Friday. “So, it’s certain cities that ain’t going to happen. It’s going to be an Eli.”
Sanders said he doesn’t want his son to play in a “cold city,” which means no thank you to Chicago, New York, Buffalo, and Denver. Strangely, he’s okay with Washington and Baltimore, which, last time we checked, get plenty of snow.
Like John Elway and Eli Manning before him, Sanders wants to ensure his son Shedeur and players like Travis Hunter end up playing on the teams they want to.
It’s interesting that Sanders doesn’t have a problem coaching or living in Colorado, but doesn’t want his son to play for the Denver Broncos, even if they really want him to be their next star quarterback.
How do you look into a recruit’s eyes and try to get them to come to Boulder when you don’t even like the cold there? How does that work?
If I were other schools recruiting against Sanders, I would use that statement against him. The man wants your son to play for him, but he doesn’t want his own son to play there in the pros.
Sanders sounds like LaVar Ball, who wanted his sons to play basketball in Los Angeles. That ploy didn’t quite work out as all three of them only play in LA during road trips.
Sanders wants to use his leverage to get his players where they want to go, but in the process, he might be hurting their chances of finding the right situation. Several of those cold city franchises are pretty good and in a position to win soon. You really wouldn’t join the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, or Kansas City Chiefs because you don’t like the snow? All three of these teams made the playoffs last year.
Meanwhile, warmer climate teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints haven’t done much in a while.
Also, keep in mind that NFL teams draft based on need. The teams that Sanders wants his son to play for might not need their services. Teams like the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars don’t need a quarterback.
Sanders is not making a power move, he’s making a dumb move. He’s hurting his player’s chances of getting drafted. What team is going to want to draft a diva who says I won’t play for you because you aren’t good enough for me?
I would think that Sanders and Hunter would want the challenge of making an NFL team they play for better. But saying you will only go to certain cities is a surefire way to make sure you don’t get what you want or the money you may deserve.
{Million Dollaz Worth of Game}
