The draft day scenes of the Sanders residence are still fresh in the memories of football diehards. Deion and Shedeur Sanders were waiting with the cameras and the commentary, but it was instead followed by the shockwaves of the final pick. It was hard to accept for the fandom as well as the Sanders family, but the intrigue has always been on the ‘why’ of the situation. Why did that situation occur in the first place? There have been a plethora of assumptions on that, but now Deion has finally allowed everyone to look through that curtain.

Deion recently joined the Kelce brothers for a podcast on the New Heights Show for a lighthearted chat. And that chat included a “true or false” segment, which subsequently turned into a window into Deion’s world. Jason went in with the question and asked, “Another true or false—[Deion] didn’t finish his Giants interview because they had the 10th pick. Yeah. And he’d be gone by then. Is that true?” And Deion, being Deion, didn’t blink before answering, but he did press on the brakes too early. Deion answered, “That’s true. That’s probably why they did what they did with my son. But anyway, we ain’t going to talk about that.” Those implications are unmistakable. The memories in the league are strong. Now, you might be thinking that the Giants’ stance on not picking Shedeur is the botched interview, the unpreparedness, and the entitled attitude, but this adds another dimension to the discussion. 

Then came yet another reveal. Calls were coming Sheduer’s way on draft day, and those were from Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Baltimore. Deion said, “Philly called… Baltimore, and the Browns… I played for Baltimore, so me and Ozzie are cool. I don’t want to say how it went, but how in the world can somebody fault him for saying or thinking, why in the world would I go back up Lamar for 10 more years? Like, who comes in with that mindset?” This is not defiance; it’s fitting. Sitting behind an MVP for a decade has never built any careers. It stalls the window, and it delays growth. The league has always rewarded readiness and opportunity. Moreover, getting an elite QB who fits the plan, who has been the core of the team, is rare in the NFL. No team would be willing to give shots to a rookie, barring emergencies. It would’ve stalled Sheduer’s career for a long, long time.

Deion also talked about his thoughts on the issue and said, “When have the pros ever developed anybody? By the time you get to the NFL, they expect you to know what you need to do and to do it, or somebody else gonna get in there and do it. Now, they teach you their playbook, but development and teaching you how to route folks up… Man, please. Ain’t nobody taught you that.” Agree or not, it’s what the reality has always been. The leagues are the center where knowledge is applied, and college football is where knowledge is acquired. And that is exactly why Sheduer’s call to not go to Baltimore was correct. In the league, landing spot matters because the ramps are super short.

Patience And Readiness

Deion Sanders has done to his son what he does best: that is, distilled his guidance to Shedeur into some simple words. When asked about the best piece of advice he gave Sheduer for the NFL, he said, “Be patient and be ready.” He framed it both as a father’s wisdom and also from a coach’s perspective. “I don’t want them to call out your name, and you ain’t ready. We ain’t built like that. Sanders ain’t built like that,” he said, like passing a secret family recipe to Sheduer.

But it’s not a Deion-Sanders-classic piece of advice unless it comes wrapped in an everyday analogy. Sanders compared the idea to a routine habit of morning coffee. He said, “I drink coffee every morning… I don’t pull the coffee cup off the darn maker before it’s ready,” turning advice into metaphor.

Readiness is the non-negotiable baseline for the professional league and is exactly the trait that prevents costly early pulls. And that culture has been instilled in Sheduer since the day he was born; he is just being reminded of that.