NFL Rumors: Tom Brady 'Impressed' by Shedeur Sanders amid Raiders Draft Buzz
January 4, 2025
As Tom Brady prepares for his first offseason in a prominent role for the Las Vegas Raiders, he could have a significant voice in what the team decides to do at quarterback for the 2025 season.
Per Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson, Brady has been "impressed" with Shedeur Sanders' performance and ability to handle the spotlight during his two seasons at Colorado.
Robinson noted Brady has indicated to a handful of NFL coaches and executives he has "a great amount of respect" for Sanders' preparation, accuracy, determination, toughness and ability to adapt.
Brady has also spoken publicly about the impact staying in college for five years had on his development as a player.
Sanders has four years and 49 games of starting experience in college between Jackson State and Colorado. Cam Ward, the other top quarterback prospect in this draft class, has played in 38 games over the past three seasons.
B/R's NFL scouting department actually has Ward ranked ahead of Sanders as the top quarterback in the 2025 draft, but there's not a consensus among analysts that one is definitively better than the other.
Raiders owner Mark Davis told reporters at the NFL winter meetings last month he expects Brady will have a "huge" impact on the future direction of the organization, particularly after his responsibilities as an analyst for Fox Sports end for the season after the Super Bowl.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted that Davis has also said Brady will be heavily influential in picking the Raiders' next quarterback.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheetFrom <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLGameDay?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFLGameDay</a>: Bill Belichick landed at UNC this week, but not before checking in with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jets?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jets</a>… 🧐. Meanwhile, Tom Brady will have a big voice with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Raiders?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Raiders</a> moving forward. <a href="https://t.co/q0Mp2Ae9It">pic.twitter.com/q0Mp2Ae9It</a>
Sanders has been frequently connected to the Raiders and New York Giants in the 2025 NFL draft, with ESPN's Jordan Raanan reporting his preference between the two teams would be Las Vegas.
Things have gotten more complicated in recent weeks because wins by the Raiders and Giants have shaken up the draft. The Giants currently own the No. 4 pick and the Raiders are at No. 8 in the current order heading into the final week of the regular season.
New York can only move up to No. 1 with a loss and wins by the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns in Week 18. Vegas only has a 3.5 percent chance to earn a top-five pick, per ESPN's Football Power Index.
If the Raiders want to draft Sanders, it would likely require them to make a trade up given how many teams currently picking in front of them also figure to be in the quarterback market.