As per the recent events, the only connection Deion Sanders has with Eli Manning was the reference he took during Shedeur Sanders’ 2025 NFL Draft. The “it’s going to be an Eli” comment Deion made about his son and two-way star Travis Hunter not making their dream teams. Almost six months have passed, but this time, Manning ended up upsetting one of the members of the Sanders fam. That’s none other than Deion’s firstborn, Deion Sanders Jr. The reason? Manning’s comment about Hunter didn’t fit well with Bucky. But what’s the hoopla all about?

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to select at No.2. That’s what the craze was about Hunter, who played both offense and defense on a full-time basis. But looks like Manning cut a few marks from Hunter’s report card that left Deion Jr. upset. On the October 6th episode of the Omaha Productions podcast, Manning was invited while they played Hunter’s clip while playing against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Deion Jr. reshared the interview with the blunt caption that read, “Don’t let them lie to you, Mr Manning, he practiced WR & DB equally.” In that show, Manning was asked, “If you guys are coaching Travis Hunter, what is sort of the, like, percentage of where you’re putting him on offense, where you’re putting him on defense?” The former New York Giants star said, “Liam Coen said, when he[Hunter] was at Colorado, he practiced zero with the offense. He only practiced defense.”

Well, given his latest stats, Hunter has played more snaps on offense than on defense so far this year. For the wide receiver, he played 159 snaps, 108 pass play snaps. And on defense, Hunter racked up 101 snaps, 74 coverage snaps. Manning added, “They just kind of had a special system where they had signals. The coach would just signal the formation to him and then signal the route to him. So, like, he just, just, like, just improvised. He just went out there and winged it as a receiver.” 

Back in Colorado, Hunter Hunter averaged 118 snaps per game, with 713 and 709 defensive and offensive snaps, respectively. The back-to-back Paul Hornung Award winner is simultaneously an elite cover corner and a 1,100-yard wide receiver. But back at high school, he was viewed as a cornerback prospect. In the pro league, even the Ironman of Colorado’s roster showed where the balance tilts. Hunter spent more time locking down receivers than running routes, with 43 corner snaps to 42 on offense in Week 2 and 43 to 37 the following week. As the debate continues, Deion got extra protective of his former dual threat.

Deion Sanders fires back at Travis Hunter’s criticism

Well, we have seen how Hunter holds a soft corner in Deion’s heart. No matter how often he defeated Coach Prime, in their fishing sprees, Deion misses his tw0-way star the most. In an interview with his former Dallas Cowboys mate, Troy Aikman, Deion came off as Hunter’s biggest confidant. “He loves football, playing video games, and fishing. Not necessarily in that order,” revealed Coach Prime about Hunter’s favorite hobbies.

Off-field interests? Sure. On-field results? Even better. The Jaguars have worked Hunter in carefully, but whenever he’s out there, he delivers, making plays on offense and defense alike. He’s yet to find the end zone, but his Week 5 showing versus the 49ers, with three grabs for 42 yards, was his most productive yet. Yet then doubts prevailed. As Davante Adams stirred the pot stating, “I don’t think it’s possible to do [play both ways for an entire career] for real. That’s just a lot of mileage, and I don’t know how long… his career is going to be if he’s playing that many snaps?”

Now, what about Travis Hunter’s biggest supporters’ view? On the Politely Raw podcast, Deion was asked to share his views on the best-suited position for the Jaguars star. And looks like Coach Prime’s support has not even dimmed by a bit. “Well, I’ve been the head coach of Travis Hunter for three years, and he’s played both. It was not ‘mainly’ [any side]. He was mainly the dog. He was mainly the guy,” Deion said. “And to get the best out of him, you’ve got to feature him. You’ve got to keep him involved because he’s a big play waiting to happen.” Being Coach Prime’s son, you can bet Deion Sanders Jr. won’t sit quietly when someone comes after Travis Hunter.