Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will probably never admit it, but the 2025 NFL Draft must have been the most agonizing experience of his career so far.
Projected to go in the first round, Sanders slipped all the way to the final day of the draft before being selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick. Draft analysts lost their collective minds as they questioned how everyone misread the room so badly, with their opinions differing heavily from those of NFL front offices. While there has to be a valid explanation, some of the theories floating around social media are completely outlandish.
One of them involves the Las Vegas Raiders and analyst Skip Bayless, the latter of whom directly accused minority owner Tom Brady of telling the Raiders to avoid drafting Sanders.
It is now pretty clear Tom Brady – who mentored Shedeur – told the Raiders NOT to take Shedeur. Duly noted.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 26, 2025
This came before Sanders was drafted, as well as before the Raiders selected quarterbacks Tommy Mellott and Cam Miller in the sixth round after he was off the board.
In a surprising moment for the usually stoic Brady, he took the time to address the rumors head-on.
Brady reportedly launched a scathing critique of Bayless regarding his involvement in the Raiders draft.
According to an anonymous insider from The Daily Mail, Brady’s opinion of Bayless has decreased considerably after the analyst suggested he was directly tied to the falling stock of his protégé.
“Tom thinks that Skip Bayless is an idiot for thinking he had anything to do with Shedeur’s downfall in the NFL Draft. Tom has limited say in what players the Raiders pick in the NFL Draft or whomever they sign,” said the insider.
“Pete Carroll (head coach) and Mark Davis (owner) have the final say on everything with the team. Will they talk to Tom for his advice? Absolutely, but Tom had no sway on getting Shedeur or staying away from him.”
Keep in mind that anything from ‘anonymous sources’ should be taken with a few grains of salt, but anyone with even an inkling of knowledge of the relationship between Brady and Sanders can realize that Bayless’s accusation makes no sense.
Brady has directly worked with Sanders, playing a role in the quarterback’s development since high school. If Sanders did need guidance or a clear support system in his professional career, it stands to reason that Brady would know more than practically anyone what the young prospect would need. It is unclear why the Raiders passed on Sanders on seven of their 11 draft picks, but it is highly doubtful that Brady (a sixth-round pick, in his own right) played any role in dictating that outcome.
Only time will tell if the Raiders made the right choice on Sanders, or the dreadfully wrong one.
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