Shedeur Sanders reportedly stiff-armed the Ravens on draft weekend, and Baltimore was right not to force the issue
Reports suggest the Ravens were prepared to draft Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders in April before Sanders said “no thank you”. The team was right to move on.
The Baltimore Ravens have become a team with a reputation of being opportunistic with their team-building opportunities. General manager Eric DeCosta has routinely made a habit out of jumping on good talent that falls into his lap during the NFL Draft process. And, now, with the 2025 season still in the first chapters, we’ve come to find out that the Ravens quite nearly did it 0nce again this past April.
Reports over the weekend indicated that the Ravens were prepared to end the draft weekend slide of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, only to have the young quarterback himself stiff-arm the Ravens.
Report indicates QB Shedeur Sanders told the Ravens “thanks, but no thanks” on Draft weekend
“Before the Ravens could turn in the card, the former Colorado star let it be known to Baltimore that he didn’t want to be on a roster with Lamar Jackson, where he wouldn’t have a chance to play anytime soon, league sources said.
Sanders knew that Jackson, a two-time MVP and one of the top players in the league, was not going to be losing his job as Baltimore’s starting quarterback in the near future. So the message was conveyed to the Ravens that Sanders did not want to be drafted by Baltimore and preferred to end up in a place where he might have a better chance to play sooner. The Ravens instead drafted offensive lineman Carson Vinson with the 141st pick.”
— ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Baltimore’s reported intent to draft QB Shedeur Sanders in April
Presuming the accounting of the draft weekend events are true, the Ravens likely made the right decision to not flex their muscle and turn the card in anyway. Every good organization is oft comprised of players who are happy to be a part of it — and a third-string quarterback, as Sanders would have been behind Lamar Jackson and Cooper Rush in 2025, isn’t worth the potential frustration as a player who would prefer to be elsewhere.
Of course, It’s easier to turn down a roll of the dice at quarterback when you’ve got Lamar Jackson in tow, too. That luxury should have the Ravens looking ahead with no regrets. The first encounter between the two parties came and went on Sunday in Baltimore, with the Ravens collecting a 41-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Sanders serves as the Browns’ emergency quarterback for the contest.
Baltimore Ravens News
Ravens’ quirky 41-17 win over Browns was anything but conventional, and it’s the unsung heroes who deserve the spotlight in the home opener
It wasn’t the usual suspects that got Baltimore up big, but it nevertheless resulted in a big win over the Browns.
