The Las Vegas Raiders' season is officially a wash. After the team showed promise under then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce in the back half of the 2023 season, the Raiders removed the interim label and have disappointed in 2024, sitting at 2-10 and in dead last in the AFC West.
The only thing the Raiders really have going for them at the moment is a run at the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. One prospect who could go number one overall is Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whose dad and head coach, Deion Sanders, has recently been linked to the Raiders in 2025.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that Sanders in Las Vegas could make sense, citing the culture and atmosphere of the team and the city.
"If there's one fit, it's Vegas because of the culture there and the bright lights and Davis' willingness to do something different," an AFC executive said. "Not sure whether it would work, but it would be exciting."
Deion Sanders linked to Raiders in 2025
Now it's worth noting that the Raiders' head coaching position isn't open, at least not as of this writing. This season has not gone well under Pierce but the team didn't have much to work with at the quarterback position and the hope is that they'll be able to get a good one in the 2025 draft whether it's Sanders or Miami's Cam Ward or whoever the Raiders think is a good fit.
Sanders was hired to be the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes in 2023 and they initially had a disappointing year, finishing at 5-7 and missing out on a bowl game. This year, however, things clicked into place with the team finishing 9-3 and just missing out on a chance to partake in the College Football Playoffs.
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With Shedeur leaving for the draft, that's left people wondering if Deion will remain in Boulder or head to the NFL. Let's say the Raiders were to hire him. That'd mean they'd likely be moving up to the top spot in the draft (if they're not already there) to draft his son and having a father and a son on the same team in the pros would be an interesting business decision.
This, of course, is just a small rumor. We don't even know if Pierce will be fired after this year. After all, it is just one full year with Pierce on the job and the players advocated for him to get the job last year but if Deion Sanders is available and willing to take over the Raiders job, would that be enough to bring him in?
If we're already hearing about this now, you can bet that this rumor won't be going away anytime soon.