The Las Vegas Raiders had ample opportunities to select quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. Taking him at No. 6 overall would've been too rich for their blood, especially after trading for Geno Smith and extending him during the offseason.
But as the days passed and Sanders still remained on the board, there was a chance that the Raiders would take him as a mid-round backup and an eventual heir to the throne in Las Vegas. At the same time, however, there was growing concern over what was making Sanders fall so dramatically.
Of course, the Silver and Black steered clear, and Sanders landed with the Cleveland Browns. As fate would have it, Sanders got his first shot as an NFL starter on Sunday in Week 12 against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, and he and his squad sleepwalked to a 24-10 victory.
Browns' Shedeur Sanders rubbed it in after big win over Raiders
After the game, Sanders was his typical boisterous self, which can be quite endearing to a fan base after a win. After a loss, however, Raiders fans will feel like Sanders' post-game quote is a slap in the face.
"Winning is crazy. Off of one week of practice, you know what I mean? This one week of practice," Sanders said. "So, imagine what a full offseason looks like. It gets dangerous. But it's just one week of practice, so I'm just truly thankful that everything happened."
The pain of losing to a 2-8 team was compounded by the fact that said team was starting a rookie quarterback for the first time in his career. That pain was then doubled when the realization hit that Las Vegas could have had said quarterback if they had so chosen.
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It's not like Sanders set the world on fire, but he made limited mistakes and did enough to galvanize the offense and lead his team to a win. Plus, he played way better than Smith, and when looking at the year, it's hard to imagine that Sanders could have this team in a worse spot if he started from Day 1.
Things just continue to go from bad to worse for the Raiders in 2025, as they are now holders of a 2-9 record. They only have the No. 5 pick in the draft to show for it, too, as there are several other bad teams currently competing for the top overall spot.
If Sanders ends up being a franchise quarterback in Cleveland, or elsewhere, for that matter, Las Vegas will have some serious self-scouting to do about the way they evaluate quarterbacks. In the meantime, however, Sanders taking down the Raiders and saying what he said after the game just felt like a slap in the face.