Aging at the position, the Las Vegas Raiders were considered among the teams to select a quarterback at some point in the 2025 NFL Draft. And they did. They took North Dakota State’s Cam Miller in the 6th round. This also means they opted not to go for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders seven times.
The 2025 NFL Draft saw Sanders, who had been widely projected as a potential top pick after starring at Colorado under his father Deion Sanders, experience a significant slide. Despite being mentored by NFL legend Tom Brady in 2020, Sanders was not selected until the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns (144th overall).
Did Tom Brady Sabotage Sanders’ Chance With Las Vegas Raiders?
This outcome has led analyst Skip Bayless to speculate that Brady, now a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, influenced the team’s decision not to draft Sanders. Bayless stated on X: “It is now pretty clear Tom Brady – who mentored Shedeur – told the Raiders NOT to take him. Duly noted.”
The Raiders’ first pick in the draft was running back Ashton Jeanty, and the team had previously addressed their quarterback position by trading for Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks.
Bayless’s assertion appears to stem from Brady’s past comments about Sanders. In 2023, Brady emphasized the importance of mentorship and a strong support system for Sanders’ development:
“I see someone who has a great work ethic but wants the knowledge, too. People always ask me, ‘How good do you think this guy is going to be?’ And I always say, it depends on who he surrounds himself with. It depends who mentors him. Because even you, [Deion Sanders], weren’t a finished product at 21 or 22. I certainly wasn’t. I had the right people come into my life, and I was open to learning from them.”
Brady also noted Sanders’ proactive approach to learning: “Naturally, he’s very proactive. We had a conversation, then phone calls, then then text messages, and then him making the commitment to say ‘all right, this is what I want to do, I’m very serious about it.’ A lot of it is you want to see what their intention is too because when you see someone that’s really open to learning and has a thirst for knowledge, you want to be able to support that.”
Source Says Tom Brady Denies Bayless Claim
But according to a source of the Daily Mail, Brady has defended Sanders. An insider told the Daily Mail: ‘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.
‘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. …
‘Now that Tom is in the media himself and has had to deal with Skip forever, it is just another ridiculous accusation that Tom isn’t going to give any life to for Skip’s benefit. It is just stupid banter.’