It’s been more than 20 years since Ole Miss product Eli Manning — guided by his father, 13-year NFL veteran Archie Manning — forced his way off the San Diego Chargers’ draft board to land with the New York Giants.
By doing so, he sent a clear message to tanking teams and set a precedent for future can’t-miss prospects to take control of their NFL destinies. Now, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer suggests Deion Sanders may be following in Archie’s footsteps — playing the bad guy to make sure his son, Shedeur Sanders, finds the right fit on draft day.
Deion Sanders Expected to Take a Step Back After the Draft
In his weekly “Monday Morning Quarterback” column, Breer wrote that Deion may just be putting on a show for now to help Shedeur land in the right spot.
“For what it’s worth, I think Deion Sanders will be like Archie Manning when it comes to being an NFL quarterback’s dad. Manning, you’ll remember, played the bad guy for his son Eli, who forced a trade that put him with the Giants, rather than the Chargers, in 2004,” Breer wrote.
“Folks back then wondered whether Archie would loiter in front of Eli’s career. He didn’t. In fact, he was rarely heard from in that context again. I’d bet Deion will take a similar step back, once he knows Shedeur is happy and taken care of in his NFL city.”
Shedeur is expected by most to be the second quarterback off the board in this month’s NFL Draft, behind Miami’s Cam Ward.
PFSN’s latest mock draft has him going No. 3 overall — to Eli Manning’s old team, the New York Giants.
From Deion’s point of view, that might not be the best fit for Shedeur. For one, the Giants’ offense was rated second-worst in the league last year according to PFSN’s Offense metric.
They also gave up 48 sacks between three different quarterbacks — just one shy of a top-10 worst mark.
It also doesn’t help that the Giants signed two veteran quarterbacks in free agency. Russell Wilson got a guaranteed $10.5 million deal, and Jameis Winston signed on for two years. That means Shedeur could be facing real competition under center in his rookie year.
Still, this Giants team isn’t without upside. They’ve got talented young players like Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy who could thrive with Sanders in the offense, plus a handful of draft picks to keep building around him.
The 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner, scheduled for April 24 to April 26. Shedeur will also have a shot to boost his stock at his pro day at the University of Colorado on April 4.