There was a time, eons ago, when Shedeur Sanders was going to be the next franchise QB for the Las Vegas Raiders. It was as sure a thing as anything can be in Vegas. Everything about the fit made sense, and the #2 black-and-silver Sanders jersey looked pretty good.
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Then, sometime in the last six months, that dream died. It probably was right around the time that the Raiders traded for Geno Smith, but no one can be truly sure. Now the Raiders are at the beginning of a win-now era with Carroll and Smith at the helm, while Sanders' chances of going in the top 10 on Thursday night are slimmer than they've ever been. Not to be dramatic, but it seems like Sanders and the Raiders may have just been two ships passing in the night. (OK fine I wanted to be dramatic. But it kinda worked?)
But to quote the great poet Lee Corso: not so fast, my friend. Sanders almost-certainly isn't going to the Raiders at six, but that doesn't mean he won't end up in Vegas still. That's the premise that ESPN's NFL analyst Ben Solak tried to hint at in his latest profile on Sanders, which dropped on Tuesday morning. Solak names a bunch of teams that make sense for Sanders – which, fine, yawn, whatever – but things get really interesting when he starts talking about the Raiders.
Ben Solak still sees the Raiders as a good fit for Shedeur Sanders
"The team to watch is the Raiders. Geno Smith's recently signed contract extension is extremely front-loaded -- after the 2025 season, he will hit their cap for only $26.5 million if he's retained in 2026, and he would represent only $18.5 million in dead cap space if released ... Sanders' existing relationship with Tom Brady, who is a minority owner of the team, should not be underestimated as a factor. I do not think the Raiders would take Sanders at No. 6, and I do not think new coach Pete Carroll wants to take anyone who could unseat Smith. But if Sanders slides to the end of Round 1, don't be surprised if they are one of the teams trying to trade up."
The team to watch is the Raiders. Ben gets it. Truthfully, I had moved past thinking about Sanders and the Raiders, but these points are making a lot of sense to me. Maybe I'm just getting wrapped up in all the excitement of DRAFT WEEKEND BABY, but trading up into the end of the first round for Sanders wouldn't be the worst idea Pete Carroll's ever had. As long as he has Sanders hand it off to Ashton Jeanty when they're on the three yard line in the final moments of the Super Bowl, I'm cool with it.