It’s been over a year since Shedeur Sanders’ stunning tumble in the 2025 NFL Draft, and his father, Deion Sanders, is finally opening up about one of the biggest what-ifs surrounding that weekend: Why didn’t the star quarterback hire an agent?
In a candid interview with Garrett Bush of The Barbershop, Coach Prime admitted that watching his son get dragged through false narratives and eventually fall to the fifth round hurt more than almost anything he’s experienced. “That was the first time in my life that I couldn’t fix it,” Deion said. “I’ve always been able to fix it, with all my kids. But as that bulljunk was going on… I couldn’t fix it. And he wanted me to fix it. And I didn’t have the power to fix it. And that hurt.”
The reasoning behind skipping representation? According to Deion, it came down to a simple calculation: Shedeur was projected as a top-five pick, maybe second-best quarterback in the class. Why give away 3 to 5 percent of a rookie contract when you already know where you’re slotted? “You know where you’re slotted,” Deion explained. “So why do you need that? It don’t make sense to give somebody four or five percent… and you know where you’re slotted.”
Except the Sanders family clearly didn’t know. The draft board didn’t cooperate, and Shedeur slid all the way to the fifth round before the Cleveland Browns finally stopped the freefall. Deion now acknowledges that not having an agent likely did more harm than the financial cost would have been. It’s a rare moment of vulnerability from a man known for his swagger and control.
Shedeur, to his credit, turned the adversity into fuel. He earned the starting job midway through his rookie season and was named a Pro Bowl alternate. But the sting of draft weekend hasn’t faded for his father, who felt powerless to stop the narrative machine spinning against his son.
Coach Prime also used the interview to finally put to rest the persistent rumor that he was angling for an NFL coaching job—specifically with whichever team drafted Shedeur. He famously said in 2025 that “the only way I would consider (the NFL) is to coach my sons,” but now he’s walking that back hard. “I never wanted their job. I love Colorado, man. I love my kids that I have in that locker room. I love the staff. I love all of it. I ain’t trying to coach in no NFL.”
That clarification might disappoint some fans who dreamed of a Prime-led sideline in the pros, but it’s a relief for Buffaloes faithful. Deion’s commitment to Boulder seems genuine, and he’s made it clear he’s not going anywhere. For those still wondering if the Browns and Shedeur dynamic might create an opening, think again.
The whole saga—draft slide, agent debate, NFL rumors—has become a defining chapter in the Sanders family story. But as Deion sees it, the lesson is simple: even when you think you know the script, the draft can rewrite it in a hurry.
