Despite all his accolades, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young still has one nagging thought about his time with Deion Sanders, whom he believes was an exceptional player. The 3x Super Bowl champion caught up with Coach Prime during a recent interview, where he made a massive admission.

“There’s one human, and this is not because he’s sitting here,” Steve Young said of Deion Sanders, as shared by Well Off Media on February 8. “There’s one human that I played against that I could not predict. It was like I would throw it, and then he would do something like, damn. How’s that? How do you do that? Like it didn’t make sense to me.”

Steve Young, already a full-time starter in 1991, had a solid offense with Jerry Rice, Ricky Watters, and Ken Norton Jr. when Deion Sanders joined San Francisco in 1994. Sanders immediately transformed the defense, recording six interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns, to go along with 14 defended passes, proving he was the game-changing piece they desperately needed. That’s why the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIX while he snagged the Defensive Player of the Year honor. 

Steve Young hit his peak right as Deion Sanders arrived. In SB XXIX, he threw a still-unmatched six TD passes against the Chargers and finished 49-26. The MVP trophy became his. Still, he keeps circling back to the cornerback.

“He was the first shut-down corner ever,” Young said years later. “He introduced the concept. We needed a defensive threat. We could score points. We just needed to slow down the biggest and baddest teams, and that’s what he did that year.”

But San Francisco never offered Deion Sanders a new contract after winning its fifth Super Bowl. That still bothers Steve Young. The Colorado head coach later said on KNBR that if the 49ers had offered, he would’ve stayed. Instead, he went to Dallas and won another Super Bowl while the team he left behind hasn’t won one since 1994. 

The same respect and trust Young had for Coach Prime on the field is now being passed down to the next generation, as the Hall of Fame QB is taking Deion’s son, Shedeur, under his wing.

Deion Sanders finds a mentor for Shedeur Sanders 

Deion Sanders’ trust in Setev Young is so profound that he’s enlisted the Hall of Famer to mentor his son, Shedeur. His son doesn’t have his father’s resume yet, given he’s just off his rookie season with Cleveland, throwing for about 1,400 yards, seven TDs, and 10 interceptions. After Dillon Gabriel went down, he went 3-4 as a starter after taking over in Week 12. And now he’s in the Pro Bowl. And who else is better to coach him than the 7x Pro Bowler himself?

Steve Young captioned an Instagram reel showing him with Shedeur on the practice field with the caption, “Slinging it with Shedeur.” 

In the clip, the offensive Sanders playfully shoved the Hall of Famer. It shows how comfortable they are together. Steve Young once shared a locker room with Deion Sanders. He knows what unpredictability looks like and how to prepare against shutdown corners like his father. 

The Pro Bowl Game kicks off Tuesday, February 3, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. If Shedeur Sanders shines, he’ll do something Deion never did: win a Pro Bowl competition as a QB. Regardless, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.