NFL Trade Rumors: Colorado Quarterback Shedeur Sanders Hopes to Land With Las Vegas Raiders

The 2024 regular season may not be over yet, but we already have some 2025 NFL Draft drama. According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to be the first overall pick, but his preference is to land with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Where do the Giants go next at quarterback? Looking outside the building. https://t.co/5y9E3iMJ9C
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) December 20, 2024

The Raiders are tied with the New York Giants for the worst record in the league at 2-12, but the Giants currently hold the tiebreakers that would theoretically earn them the first overall pick. The New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns are all tied at 3-11 and all also in the hunt.

Quarterbacks at the top of the NFL Draft have managed to leverage their way to preferred destinations before, but generally, that requires an exceptionally hot commodity. John Elway, once considered the greatest quarterback prospect of all time, managed to force a trade between the Indianapolis Colts, holders of the 1983 NFL Draft's first overall pick, and the Denver Broncos. Eli Manning also similarly spurred the San Diego Chargers to trade him to the New York Giants in 2004. Sanders is unlikely to inspire such frenzy.

Sanders, the son of Colorado head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, has started 23 games for the Buffaloes, passing for 7156 yards, 62 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, but he's hardly a perfect prospect. He's less accomplished than many typical top incoming quarterbacks (Colorado has amassed a mere 13-11 record over the past two seasons), and he probably lacks the speed and elusiveness to run away from NFL defensive linemen. He netted -93 rushing yards over 202 rushing attempts at Colorado.

There remains a lot of football to be played, and Sanders' draft stock could shift in the months to come. Still, if he truly wants to end up with the Raiders, he'll likely need them to end up with the first overall pick or for the draft order to fall in such a way that only teams with quarterbacks already in place, like the Jaguars and Patriots, pick ahead of them. Otherwise, he may simply have to make do with whatever hand he's dealt.