Let me preface this by saying that things said on a red carpet show are oftentimes not serious and should not always be taken completely seriously. Let me also note that I think in this particular instance, when the idea of falling to No. 9 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft was floated, Shedeur Sanders and his NFL Hall of Fame father Deion Sanders, were completely serious in their borderline apoplectic reaction.
The Colorado duo appeared on the NFL Honors Red Carpet with M.J. Acosta and Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who were outside doing interviews as the various celebrities rolled into the show, and Jordan decided to joke about the idea of Sanders coming to New Orleans.
Neither Shedeur nor Deion were having any of it. Here was the full exchange:
Jordan: “I know you’e going to be a first rounder …”
Shedeur: “Yeah for sure.”
Jordan: “Some people have you projected one, two … or maybe you fall to nine…”
Deion: “I don’t know about that.”
Cam: “It’s not tampering if we’re just having fun.”
Shedeur: “Yeah I don’t think so.”
Now don’t take this as either Deion or Shedeur being upset about the question. At least not once they got some clarification on the the red-carpet nuance that Jordan was dropping after he and Acosta clarified things a bit.
But in typical Deion fashion, the notion that Shedeur wasn’t going first overall was completely unacceptable. That’s not an unusual way for a professional athlete to respond to a line of questioning like this. Heck, Dee Milliner once suggested he was the “best cornerback in the entire NFL.” Seriously.
And when you think about Deion and his entire career, he’s approached it — whether it was in college, during the draft, in the NFL, during his broadcasting career or while coaching — with an unimpeachable confidence that he’s the best at whatever he’s doing. He wasn’t wrong at all when it came to playing football, he’s been pretty good at it during coaching as well, even if it landed a target on Colorado at various points during his time in Boulder.
Look no further than the answer he gave when he was asked what advice he would give his son as he heads to the NFL. Deion called it “tough” before revealing part of his mindset.
“This is not just a player, this is my son. My son(s), plural. Just take one step at a time and maximize your moments,” Sanders said. “Life consists of a multitude of moments and those of us who are on this stage right now we maximized those moments.”
Now Sanders is hoping one of those moments involves his son being the first player to walk out on stage at Lambeau Field.
