Deion Sanders Refuses To Accept Cris Carter’s Explanation For Shedeur Sanders’ Shocking NFL Draft Slide

Shedeur Sanders' draft controversy takes another turn after Deion's claim© Getty via AFP

Deion Sanders has rejected Cris Carter's version of why Shedeur Sanders fell in the 2025 NFL Draft. Carter, a Hall of Famer, spoke about the Browns quarterback on Monday's “Fully Loaded” podcast and repeated claims about his behavior before the draft. Deion replied in the podcast's Instagram comments and said none of it happened, adding a pointed question about timing. The exchange came a day after Shedeur's first start of the season, a 23-22 loss to the Saints. A year and a half later, the slide still follows the Sanders family around.

Deion Sanders rejects Carter's explanation

Carter was asked on the show whether Shedeur and Texas quarterback Arch Manning are the same kind of player. He said no. Carter called Shedeur the better college passer but gave Manning the edge as an athlete and a prospect. Then he turned to the draft. In his view, Manning would not make the choices pinned on Shedeur. Carter said: “Arch is not gonna be in the meetings with headsets on.” He added that Manning would not tell teams which picks he expects or skip visits.

Deion did not let that stand.

Under the podcast's Instagram post, he wrote: “That never happened. All you got to do is ask for the truth, my brother.” He then pointed to a story Carter once told about Shedeur in a car, saying it shows who his son really is. His follow-up was a timing question. “How does that add up when the draft hadn't taken place at that time?” Coach Prime signed off with “God bless you, though.”

According to EssentiallySports, the story involved a driver who spent two days with Shedeur and his brother and praised how punctual and responsible he was. That version of Shedeur, Deion argues, is the real one.

The headphones story has trailed Shedeur since the 2025 draft, when an anonymous executive called his formal interview the worst he had seen. Deion pushed back on that one too, asking how a quarterback who handled six different coordinators could show up unprepared. Reports of poor meetings with several teams were never confirmed, according to Pro Football Network.

Shedeur's slide still follows him

The numbers explain why this debate refuses to die. Shedeur threw for 4,134 yards at Colorado in 2024, completed 74 percent of his passes and finished with 37 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, took the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and placed eighth in Heisman voting. He was projected as a top-three pick. Deion had said there were teams his son would not play for, and that hurt his stock. Instead of a first-round call, Shedeur went in the fifth round at No. 144 to Cleveland.

The pros have been tougher on him.

Shedeur went 3-4 as a starter last season, throwing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Deshaun Watson won the job in the 2026 preseason after returning from a re-ruptured Achilles tendon. When Watson entered concussion protocol, Shedeur got the Week 9 start against New Orleans and lost 23-22. Watson has since cleared protocol, so Shedeur will likely go back to the backup role in Week 10 unless something changes.