Considering the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns have a combined record of 4-16 his season, the Week 12 matchup between the two is something that most NFL fans likely would’ve skipped. However, the game now has some national interest due to the fact that rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is set to make his first career start.
There will be plenty of people interested in seeing how the young quarterback plays. Perhaps the most interested will be Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders‘ father and former coach. It’s been a longer road to get the quarterback on the field than the Sanders’ family likely expected, but he’ll finally have a chance to prove that he should’ve been a much higher draft pick.
Despite that, Deion Sanders might not attend the game in Las Vegas, as he’s worried his presence could cause a distraction.
“I don’t know,” Sanders said. “I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’ve been urged to go. I’m pretty sure he wants me to go. You know how you want to be out of the way. You don’t want to be his distraction. But not that I would ever would be, but then you think, you know, he came all the way up here to see you.
“So, that’s even a shorter trip to go see him. You start thinking that as a dad. Because you know what it would mean to him if he just gets a glimpse of you before he walks out.”
Deion Sanders is such a big star that his showing up becomes a story, but it’s hard to imagine he won’t actually attend his son’s first NFL start, especially if Shedeur Sanders wants him there.
Deion Sanders Expects Son to Play Well
Shedeur Sanders isn’t going to get the grace that other rookie quarterbacks get. He’s such a polarizing player that many are just waiting for him to fail.
Luckily, his first start is against a mediocre Raiders defense, so he should have an easier time than he did in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens. Deion Sanders expects his son to have a good game.
“I think he’s going to do well,” Sanders said.
“That has a lot of dependency on plays and structure in offense, in timing, and all that. It is a lot of stuff involved; it’s not just him and not what he brings to the table. There is a lot going on offense. I pray to God they get it right.”
Shedeur Sanders Should Have Extra Motivation
Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders were the team most heavily linked to Shedeur Sanders, even after trading for Geno Smith. The quarterback hinted that he wanted to play in Las Vegas, and the team needed a quarterback.
Instead, they passed on him several times before he ended up with the Cleveland Browns. Considering Smith has been bad for the Raiders this season, it might’ve been nice to have a quarterback with start potential on the roster. Sanders will have a chance to prove to the Raiders and Tom Brady that they made a mistake by passing on him.
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