The Shedeur Sanders fall took everyone by surprise. Once projected as the No. 1 quarterback in the draft, his drop to QB6 and selection in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick was unprecedented, to say the least.
What made it more shocking was the number of connections Sanders already had with NFL teams, most notably the New York Giants. After wearing the team’s cleats in what many saw as a clear message, one analyst believes New York passing on him wasn’t a surprise to the Sanders family.
Shedeur Sanders Had an Idea About the New York Giants’ Decision
Throughout much of the 2025 NFL Draft process, three teams — the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and Cleveland Browns — were considered top landing spots for Sanders due to their need for a quarterback.
In the weeks before the draft, the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers also became potential destinations, due to Derek Carr’s injury and Aaron Rodgers’ uncertain status, respectively.
But out of all those options, the Giants weren’t one of the teams the Sanders camp was seriously eyeing. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared the scoop in his piece grading the NFL Draft.
“While the Giants worked out Shedeur Sanders the week before the draft, Sanders sensed much earlier that New York probably wasn’t in the cards for him,” Fowler wrote.
Fowler added that “Sanders openly acknowledged during the predraft process that he didn’t hit it off with Giants coaches, per a source.”
This may refer to reports from Albert Breer about the interview process between the Colorado QB and the Giants coaching staff. Breer revealed that things went south after an awkward moment during the meeting.
“They give players their install, and there are mistakes intentionally put in the install. He didn’t catch them and got called on it. And it didn’t go well after that…He was pissed that they did that to him.”
Instead, the Giants — after selecting arguably the best player in the draft class, Abdul Carter, with the No. 3 overall selection — traded back into the first round to add Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
After signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency, head coach Brian Daboll may view Dart as a long-term prospect, potentially allowing him to develop behind veterans Winston and Wilson.
Nevertheless, it became somewhat of a surprise that the Giants (who were heavily linked to Sanders leading up to the event), in the end, had no interest at all in adding Sanders. It’s pretty clear that both sides were upset following their pre-draft meetings.
