STWF Sports | Nov. 23, 2025 – Shedeur Sanders’ NFL story took another dramatic twist on Sunday — and it came against the very franchise that nearly drafted him.
Hours before the Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders kicked off in Week 12, former Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce dropped a revelation that immediately reframed the matchup. According to Pierce, Sanders — selected 144th overall by Cleveland — would have never slipped to the fifth round had he remained in charge.
“When I was at the Raiders, he was one of our top choices,” Pierce told CBS Sports. “If I’d have stayed there, no way he goes in the fifth round. I’m making the decision that we’re drafting him. Mark Davis was on board, our organization was on board. We believed in what we saw with Shedeur.”
Instead, the Raiders made a hard pivot. With Tom Brady’s minority stake finally approved and Pete Carroll taking over as head coach, Las Vegas brought in a familiar face: Geno Smith, Carroll’s longtime quarterback in Seattle. Meanwhile, Sanders waited patiently as Las Vegas passed on him seven times before the Browns seized their chance.
On Sunday, the rookie finally got his first NFL start after Dillon Gabriel failed to clear concussion protocol — and Pierce predicted the moment was built for him.
“Born for This”: Pierce’s Confidence in Sanders’ Moment
Pierce, who coached Sanders’ father Deion at Washington and maintains a close relationship with the family, didn’t hold back when evaluating the Browns rookie.
“One thing about Shedeur — I think we see all the glitz and glamour, the watch celebration… but he’s born for this,” Pierce said. “His pedigree is for moments of this magnitude. I expect him to play well. The Raiders defense is not very good, especially against the pass. I expect an exceptional game.”
On the opposite sideline, newly acquired quarterback Geno Smith was booed by his own fanbase as his name was announced — a stark contrast to the cheers Sanders received when he hugged his father emotional moments before kickoff.
Sanders Delivers Early Spark for Cleveland
It didn’t take long for Sanders to show why Pierce was so confident.
The Browns raced to a two-score lead after a pair of rushing touchdowns, but it was Sanders who produced the highlight of the half. Rolling to his right under pressure, he launched the longest completion of Cleveland’s season — a downfield strike that put the Browns in the red zone. Deion Sanders exploded in celebration from his suite, while defensive star Myles Garrett stood stunned on the sideline.
Cleveland hasn’t had a rookie quarterback win his first start since Eric Zeier did it in 1995. Sanders took that history to heart.
His afternoon wasn’t perfect. He misread a coverage and threw a costly interception, and another turnover came on a completion to Jerry Jeudy — a catch-and-run that should’ve produced a big gain before the ball was punched free. But Sanders never unraveled.
Instead, he responded with the poise Pierce described.
A First Touchdown — and a Debut Victory
With the Raiders surging back, Sanders delivered his first NFL touchdown pass, finding fellow rookie Dylan Sampson to push Cleveland ahead for good. From there, the Browns defense closed the door.
Garrett, locked in a chase for the single-season sack record, added three more takedowns in a tormenting night for Smith. In another universe, Sanders might have been the one picking himself off the turf in silver and black.
Instead, he walked off a winner.
“Imagine what a full offseason looks like… it gets dangerous,” Sanders said postgame. “I visualize everything during the week. The game was already played. That’s why I can talk how I talk, walk how I walk, do what I do. The game was already mentally played.”
And on Sunday, he looked every bit like the franchise quarterback Cleveland hopes he becomes — and the one Las Vegas may regret letting slip away.
