Shedeur Sanders landing spots: Seven teams most likely to pick Colorado QB in 2025 NFL Draft

First-round pick: No. 6 overall

The Raiders need a quarterback. They could use some buzz. Tom Brady is a limited partner. Pete Carroll is the coach. And it’s Vegas -- c’mon. If there was ever a town built for the one of the flashier, more famous family names in football, it's this one. It just feels right, on a vibes level, anyway.

Does it make sense football-wise? Maybe. The Raiders pick sixth overall, which should put them in range, and they own an extra third-round pick from the Jets in the Davante Adams trade to help get into better position if needed.

New Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly also heaped big praise on Sanders prior to UCLA playing Colorado in 2023, when Kelly was head coach, and he did so again after the Bruins beat Sanders and the Buffaloes. Kelly values decision-making skills, accuracy, anticipation and toughness in his quarterbacks, and those are arguably some of Sanders’ best traits as a prospect. The roster has plenty of holes, but it does feature hyper-productive tight end Brock Bowers, with whom Sanders could make magic while Vegas builds itself into a contender.

It’s not hard to envision the Raiders being the team Sanders ends up with -- especially since they might not have to move at all. His draft standing should become clearer over the next two-plus months, but it’s not a stretch to think he will simply be available for them on the clock at No. 6.

First-round pick: No. 3 overall

Ever since Shedeur and Giants receiver Malik Nabers had a little game of catch prior to the Heisman Trophy Award ceremonies in New York City in December, the Giants have been a team to watch for Sanders. They released starting QB Daniel Jones not long before that, and they head into the offseason with no apparent plan at the position.

Shedeur met with Giants officials at the East-West Shrine Bowl, likely will do so again at the NFL Scouting and has a top-30 visit with the club scheduled for March. Although Sanders didn’t play during the Shrine Bowl, which was held at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, he did say during the broadcast that “I know I’ll be playing here very soon against the Cowboys,” and the Giants are the only other NFC East team likely to draft him. Shedeur also had custom Giants-themed cleats in his locker prior to Colorado’s bowl game vs. BYU.

Picking third overall, the Giants are potentially in an ideal spot to draft Sanders if they want to, provided he doesn't go first or second overall. But then again, they appear to be in must-win mode, with head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen both back after two straight disappointing seasons. They might be more inclined to pursue a veteran (such as Matthew Stafford, whose brother-in-law is now on the Giants’ staff) if the right established starter becomes available. 

Sanders landing with the Giants makes some sense, but we first must see how they’ll handle free agency and any potential trades. Stay tuned.

First-round pick: No. 2 overall

The Browns will have a first-round choice for the first time since 2021, and they’re back in a familiar spot near the top of the draft, where they once resided for many years. They’re also arguably embroiled in the worst quarterback quandary of all time, with Deshaun Watson’s struggles, injuries and contract setting the franchise back immensely.

But is Sanders a fit in Cleveland? We’ll see. 

Picking No. 2 overall, they’re in an ideal place to select Watson’s replacement, be it Sanders or Cam Ward, depending on what the Titans do at No. 1. Sanders also appears to be a style fit for a Kevin Stefanski offense, possessing the requisite accuracy, decision-making skills and toughness the head coach and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will seek in a passer.

The Browns will go the full mile on Sanders, a process that is already well underway. They reportedly met with him at the Shrine Bowl and, per Sanders, have him scheduled for his first known top-30 visit following the NFL Scouting Combine.

Does Deion want Shedeur in Cleveland? We don’t yet know that, but the elder Sanders recently said he’s talked to the Browns. GM Andrew Berry was asked at the Senior Bowl about Deion possibly blocking the Browns, but Berry said he “didn’t anticipate that being a problem.”

The Browns could opt to go with a cost-efficient veteran QB and/or draft a lower-valued prospect than Sanders or Ward, effectively punting on a big investment at the position this year. How they handle the Myles Garrett trade request might also shine some light on their approach toward a difficult offseason.

First-round pick: No. 1 overall

We finally arrive at the team picking first overall, and the Titans certainly would qualify as quarterback-needy. They didn’t see enough from 2023 second-rounder Will Levis, who averaged 1.5 turnovers in each of his 12 starts last season. Mason Rudolph, a free agent-to-be who started five games in 2024, didn’t fare much better.

Coach Brian Callahan came from Cincinnati, where he saw how Joe Burrow completely changed the outlook for the Bengals franchise. New Titans GM Mike Borgonzi just arrived from Kansas City, where he was part of the staff that drafted Patrick Mahomes. It’s not hard to imagine this leadership group arriving at a plan to take a QB at No. 1.

The Titans also received some firsthand observation of Sanders during Shrine Bowl week, as Tennessee’s assistant WR coach, Payton McCollum, served as the game’s QB coach. Sanders reportedly met with a Titans contingent led by Callahan, Borgonzi and Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker that week for an extended period of time. Interestingly, Deion Sanders recently indicated on “The Rich Eisen Show” that the Titans were the one top-three team Deion had yet to speak with, as of Super Bowl week.

Brinker made headlines early in the pre-draft season when he said the Titans wouldn’t pass on a “generational talent” with the first pick, but it’s fair to question whether the franchise views Sanders or Ward as befitting of that label -- or whether two non-QBs, Colorado’s Travis Hunter or Penn State’s Abdul Carter, might be more likely to go first if the Titans end up using the selection. 

The Titans absolutely can’t be eliminated from Sanders contention, but they’re not our most likely destination right now. They might want to give Levis one more shot, and that probably wouldn’t happen in earnest with Sanders on board.

First-round pick: No. 7 overall

The Jets once again find themselves in need of a quarterback, and they’re within striking range of landing one through the draft if they find the right prospect.

It figures that Sanders could handle the spotlight and pressure that would come with playing for either New York team. Being the son of a Hall of Fame cornerback and one of the faces of college football the past two seasons has at least prepped Sanders for life as a potential first-round QB for the Jets.

Will the Jets trust that the draft can deliver a starting-caliber quarterback? The franchise’s track record at that position hasn’t been pretty in recent decades, although new GM Darren Mougey clearly will bring his own perspective to the draft room.

Then again, so will his partner in crime, new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, who once nicknamed himself “Prime Time Jr.” in high school. That likely isn’t enough on its own to project Sanders to the Jets, although they’ve invested heavily in the offensive line -- Sanders never had a great one at Colorado -- and have some weapons and the makings of a good defense, potentially providing a solid landing space.

There are other teams that might make a little more sense, but the Jets have few obvious veteran options and limited salary-cap space, so you can’t rule them out as a fit.

First-round pick: No. 9 overall

New head coach Kellen Moore called Derek Carr “a tremendous quarterback” in his introductory media conference, but Moore stopped shy of saying Carr would be the team’s Week 1 starter. Carr's contract comes with massive cap hits the next two seasons, at more than $51 million and $61 million, respectively, and this is a team currently in salary-cap purgatory, projected to sit more than $50 million in the red.  

NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on Super Bowl Sunday that Carr is due a $10 million roster bonus, in addition to his $30 million base salary, which becomes guaranteed three days into the new league year on March 15. Trading him after June 1 would give the Saints the most cap relief, but Carr has a no-trade clause in his contract. He’s also not likely to be too keen on giving back some of his guaranteed money to help out from a cap perspective.

That obviously complicates the matter and speeds up the timetable for the Saints. They could bite the bullet by keeping Carr and trying to slash costs elsewhere, knowing that the other in-house options (Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener) are largely unproven.

Picking ninth overall puts them behind the first five teams on this list. But it’s not so far down that the Saints are guaranteed to be out of range for Sanders. Moore might want to start over with his own handpicked QB, and his success with Dak Prescott during his time as Dallas' offensive coordinator might give us a glimpse of what the Saints offense could look like with the rookie at QB.

But drafting quarterbacks high has been a pretty rare event in New Orleans. Not counting the supplemental draft, the last QB taken by the Saints earlier than Round 3 was ... was Archie Manning, back in 1971.

First-round pick: No. 21 overall

I considered a few other longer-shot possibilities, such as the Seahawks, but the recent indication is that they’re more likely to stick with Geno Smith in the short term and possibly pick his potential replacement high in the draft. And while the Rams might be a team to watch in the QB derby, depending on what happens with Matthew Stafford, I am not yet ready to put them in the mix for Sanders.

But why not the Steelers? They’re the best wild-card option right now in my mind, even if it would be a stretch to rank them among the favorites here.

There’s very little clarity on Russell Wilson’s status currently, even as he’s campaigned to return to Pittsburgh. Like Wilson, Justin Fields is a free agent -- and the Steelers benched him for Wilson. They might want to work with Fields again, but would they bring him back as an unchallenged starter? Perhaps not.

At this moment, it feels like the Steelers are too far removed from the action, sitting with the 21st overall pick, to make a play for Sanders. But I would argue there is no guarantee that Sanders can’t slide a bit. Even in a draft where he and Ward are viewed as the top two options, QB-needy teams on this list might go for veterans at the position, pursuing players such as Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers or Wilson.

The Steelers selected Kenny Pickett in a similar range (No. 20 overall) three years ago. That didn’t work out, but we can assume their pursuit of a starting quarterback remains active until, well, they find a starting quarterback, and Sanders would have a pretty strong supporting cast in Pittsburgh. All that said, it doesn’t feel like the most likely scenario today.