Las Vegas Raiders fan Ralph Sotelo went viral during the team’s Monday Night Football matchup when TV cameras panned his way while holding a sign that read: Tank for Shedeur. That clear message spread across social media as one of the few memorable moments during the Raiders 10th straight loss.
Many members of Raider Nation agree with Sotelo and are hoping the franchise selects University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, one of the top QBs in the April draft along with Miami’s Cam Ward. The Raiders, who relocated from Oakland to Sin City four years ago, have made only one playoff appearance in that span and are on the hunt to find a long-term franchise quarterback. (New Raiders limited partner Tom Brady doesn’t count.)
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“The Raiders have lacked the panache that you would have expected of a team in Las Vegas,” Michael Green, a Las Vegas native and professor of history at UNLV, said in an interview. “[Shedeur] Sanders acts the way you would think a Las Vegas sports star would act.”
Sanders recently called Allegiant Stadium “legendary” on Instagram and chatted up owner Mark Davis at an October Las Vegas Aces game, sparking speculation about his desire to play in the burgeoning sports mecca. The New York Giants (2-12) could also end up in position to draft Sanders.
The youngest son of NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has panache, not unlike his outspoken father, who was known for his attention-grabbing stylish outfits and gleaming diamond jewels. The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award winner has signed more than a dozen NIL deals with major companies like Nike, Beats By Dre and Gatorade. Earlier this year, he walked on the runway at the fall-winter Louie Vuitton show in Paris. He represents a generation of rookies entering the league as cultural influencers with more branding experience than most veterans.
That exposure brings costs along with benefits. “What this kid has had to endure, especially the last two years, is like nothing I’ve seen,” SMAC Entertainment co-founder Constance Schwartz-Morini, the longtime manager of Deion Sanders, said in a video interview. “The New York media will be a walk in the park. Not just Shedeur but the whole team has been under a microscope. A lot of the (criticism) is so unwarranted, and the fact he has drowned out the noise is remarkable.”
Sanders already has 2 million followers on Instagram, which would place him in the top 20 among active NFL players if he were drafted tomorrow. That’s more than Griddy dancer Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who both star on Super Bowl contenders. Sanders has more TikTok followers than some team accounts, including the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans.
“They have a hybrid skillset that no other generation has seen before,” co-founder of athlete social media agency CCG Social Sebastian Arriagada said of stars in Sanders’ cohort. “There’s [some thinking] that it’s a distraction from competing on the field, but the reality is that they can actually juggle and do both while building a brand in a way the industry hasn’t caught up to yet.”
In the NFL, starting quarterbacks are expected to limit distractions, given the countless hours needed in the film room to be successful. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was criticized for being an avid gamer. It will be interesting to see how Sanders will develop his off-the-field persona while handling the on-field demands of being an NFL quarterback.
“I’m not concerned as he makes the pivot,” said Schwartz-Morini, who mentioned that Sanders’ social media posts are executed with consideration for the Buffs’ program. “If anything, I’m excited, because with [Colorado] there’s a small amount of sponsors, and Big 12 has some sponsors. But you get into the NFL, how many sponsors do they have? To me, it’s like, hey, let’s go fishing.”
SMAC Entertainment represents the Sanders family along with Heisman winner and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter for off-the-field ventures. The agency also has deep ties to a couple of potential draft destinations for Sanders. The agency was co-founded by Giants legend Michael Strahan and retains Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce as a client. Pierce was encouraged by Deion Sanders to draft his sons, Shilo and Shedeur, at an event earlier this year in a recently resurfaced video. Shilo, Shedeur’s older brother, is a CU senior safety and a possible late-round pick.
Deion has been vocal that Shedeur needs to be chosen by a franchise that develops quarterbacks and isn’t trying to insert him early on without proper preparation. The chatter that Sanders could influence the opening draft selection is reminiscent of when Eli Manning, the son of famed NFL QB Archie Manning, landed with the Giants. Eli Manning refused to go to San Diego, and the team traded him on draft day after it selected him with the top overall pick in 2004. Archie Manning has denied having anything to do with Eli’s threat to sit out the season if the Chargers drafted him, but the Sanders’ father-son dynamic could have an impact on this draft.
So could the new NIL era, where players like Shedeur can earn millions before signing with an NFL team. “He’s been paid handsomely for the last few years,” former NFL wide receiver turned ESPN analyst Andrew Hawkins said on Sportico’s Business Beyond the Game. “Not only that, but we also know who his father is. They’re not missing any meals. So, if his dad says, ‘I don’t want him to play for this team,’ you know that he has the ability to just sit it out, right?”
Sanders has come up alongside players who don’t mind challenging the status quo. Last year, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams became the first No. 1 overall draft pick to not be formally repped by a certified agent. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., taken three picks later, is in a legal fight with sports apparel giant Fanatics, one of the NFLPA’s 80-plus licensees. Harrison fans are still unable to buy his jersey since he has instructed the union to block sales until the litigation has been resolved.
Like Harrison, Sanders is advised by a Pro Football Hall of Fame father. It’s unclear if Sanders has any plans to deter from the union’s licensing arrangements or be paid via a limited liability company (which Williams reportedly tried and failed), but these incoming rookies are forcing the union to fulfill needs that players of the past didn’t have.
“As these players come to the league with more experience as their own advocates and cultural influencers, it’s reasonable to assume that we will evolve and support them,” NFL Players Inc. president Matt Curtin said in an interview. “But all that stuff is going to happen in real time.”
Sanders is expected to be one of the darlings of next year’s rookie premiere, which introduces select first-year players to the league’s business and marketing partners. The NFLPA event in Los Angeles is a chance for rookies to build on their NIL careers, gain exposure and get involved in upcoming marketing campaigns with brand partners.
“He’s going to come into the league and be someone that all the major licensees—whether with the league, with us or both—want to have a relationship with,” Curtin said.
The quarterback already sells his own merchandise through his apparel brand, SS2Legendary. He’ll be able to entertain new brand partners, with the bulk of his endorsements in his current portfolio expiring as he turns pro—a typical arrangement these days.
Still, Schwartz-Morini says a solid start in his pro career is Sanders’ biggest priority. “The team is going to come first,” she said. “He’s got to focus on the transition going from the senior star to the rookie … What we would never do is come out of the gate with 10 brands. He’s got to focus on making his mark with that first game. I’m not saying we’re not going to have any deals, but football is first, and brand will come second.”
It remains to be seen what team that will be, but supporters of two franchises certain to have high picks are making their interest known. A recent courtside stop at Madison Square Garden drew hearty support from Giants fans. And Las Vegas is starving for an elite QB.
“The Raiders have yet to have a player where the community can get into them and consider them one of their own,” said Green, the UNLV professor. “Derek Carr came close. … We all like to be entertained. And the more entertaining the Raiders can be, the better they’re going to do with Las Vegans.”
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