Shedeur Sanders’ stellar performance for the Colorado Buffaloes during the 2024 season put him squarely in the spotlight, fueling speculation about a potential landing spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the upcoming season. However, the Steelers filled their quarterback room by signing Aaron Rodgers after passing on Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Following Rodgers’ confirmation that he would join the Pittsburgh franchise for the 2025 season, Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo revealed several factors that led the front office to pursue the veteran 41-year-old signal-caller, ultimately leaving Sanders off their draft board with the knowledge that Rodgers would likely sign with the team.
A Combination of Two Reasons Caused the Steelers To Pass on Shedeur Sanders
Sanders demonstrated his prowess under center by posting impressive numbers throughout the 2024 campaign, despite being in his first year with the Buffaloes program. The 23-year-old quarterback connected for 37 touchdown passes while adding four rushing touchdowns.
2024 proved to be a banner year for Sanders in multiple aspects. The 6’2″ signal-caller captured the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors by completing 74% of his attempts (353 of 477) and accumulating 4,134 passing yards.
ESPN ranked Sanders among the most exciting prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft based on his outstanding production for the Buffaloes in 2024. Still, the Steelers’ decision-makers weren’t convinced enough to target the 23-year-old prospect for their roster heading into the upcoming season.
Their decision to bring Rodgers aboard instead of drafting Sanders stunned a significant portion of the NFL community. Fittipaldo revealed that a combination of two factors influenced the organization’s decision to pass on Sanders.
During his appearance on a recent livestream of “93.7 The Fan,” the Steelers insider explained that the mismatch between the team’s offensive scheme and Sanders’ playing style was one of the primary reasons behind the organization’s decision not to select him in the Draft.
“The Steelers didn’t have a bad impression of him [Sanders] or anything like that. They thought he was a good kid,” revealed Fittipaldo. “It just didn’t match up with what they [The Steelers] wanted in a quarterback.”
He also noted that Sanders’ absence from their draft board through the first five rounds led the Steelers’ brass to bypass him in the initial four rounds, allowing the Cleveland Browns to select him in the fifth.
“I think mostly it had to do with they didn’t have a grade on him in the first five rounds,” said Fittipaldo. “A lot of people just didn’t want to deal with Deion Sanders [the Buffaloes coach], and what that might mean down the road. I don’t know if the Steelers felt that same way, but they did not have a top five-round grade on Shedeur Sanders. That’s why they went the route they went.”
After a highly productive 2024 campaign with the Buffaloes, Sanders will undoubtedly aim to maintain his momentum with the Browns this season. It will be intriguing to see if the 23-year-old can validate his draft position by delivering standout performances against the Steelers.
Whoever wrote this does not know football at all lol sanders had 8 successful interceptions? The stealers choose to “draft” Rodgers instead? Smh terrible there’s other mistakes to but man this is the last time I read anything on this site. Go cover some other sport clowns lol