Shedeur Needs to Get Away from Deion

By Mark Pszonak

I don’t have any doubts that Deion Sanders is a great father who wants nothing but the best for his children. But sometimes that doesn’t lead to premium results. That is the current situation with Shedeur Sanders, and now it is up to him to distance himself from his father if he wants to succeed in the NFL.

Shedeur is a very good football player, but Deion didn’t do what was necessary to prepare him for the NFL. He thought he was, but instead of having his son prove himself on his own, Deion has never let him go. He coached him in high school, he coached him at Jackson State and he coached him at Colorado. Shedeur doesn’t know anything different than his father’s voice both on and off the football field. Up until the conclusion of the 2024 season that seemed to work in Shedeur’s favor, but it was quickly proven to be the incorrect method.

Dieon Sanders — Apr 4, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders talks to his son, Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2), at the University of Colorado NFL Showcase at the CU Indoor Practice Facility.

*© Michael Ciaglo-Imagn Images*

Deion has pampered Shedeur. You never heard him question his son in any way. If something bad happened on the football field the blame was put on someone else. And because of this, Shedeur became entitled. While there were constant videos of Cam Ward living and breathing football, there were just as many videos of Shedeur goofing around. He didn’t think he had to work as hard because of his upbringing, since Deion gave him everything he wanted and needed.

Pampered children also exhibit adjustment issues. Shedeur’s transition from college football to the NFL over the last few months was the first major transition/adjustment of his life, especially since it would happen without his father. And from all reports, he failed his first test miserably. His interviews with NFL coaches and general managers were a disaster (you can read about his disaster of a meeting with New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll here) which you can directly connect to his epic fall in the NFL Draft.

The good news is that Shedeur is young and has every opportunity in the world in front of him. But what will he do with that opportunity? If he continues on the same path he has been familiar with over the last decade, the most likely scenario is that his NFL career will be short. So, this is the time for him to become his own person. He will not be given any special treatment in Cleveland. It actually will likely be the exact opposite, as there will be a huge magnifying glass on anything and everything he does. How he reacts to this in the coming months may very well determine the trajectory of his NFL career.