The Las Vegas Raiders won against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but they may have cost themself a chance to get one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. For months, the team has been linked to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Fans even noticed how Sanders would post “Thank you GOD” after every Raiders loss on X. Following Las Vegas’ win on Sunday, they dropped to No. 6 in the 2025 NFL Draft order, per Tankathon. Sanders decided to send out a different message on X after the win.
“Legendary,” Sanders wrote less than an hour after the Raiders game ended.
It’s difficult to know what he could mean by that. He posted the same message on X during the Raiders’ Week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and also used the same caption over a photo of Allegiant Stadium during a recent trip to Las Vegas.
It seems to be a common word he uses but the timing of his posts is still interesting. Sanders is certainly intrigued by Las Vegas but it remains to be seen if it’s Raiders or bust for him. He’s not going to have much of a say in where he gets drafted, especially with the Raiders falling all the way down to No. 6 for now.
Can Raiders Still Land Shedeur Sanders?
The New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns are three of the teams now projected to pick ahead of the Raiders that all need quarterbacks. The Titans play the Jaguars in Week 17 and a win in that spot would put the Raiders back ahead of them.
However, it’ll be very difficult for Las Vegas to get back ahead of the Giants. New York is almost certainly going to draft a quarterback. ESPN recently reported that Sanders may prefer the Raiders to the Giants but it remains to be seen if that preference is strong enough for him to refuse to play for them.
That may be the only way the Raiders could realistically still get Sanders. His father Deion Sanders has said that the family will be willing to force Shedeur Sanders to the team he wants to play for but that would be contingent on him not wanting to play for the Giants.
Antonio Pierce Rips Idea of Tanking
Fans were hoping for the Raiders to lose out but head coach Antonio Pierce desperately needed to get a win. Had the team lost 13 straight to end the season, there’s a good chance he would’ve been fired.
Pierce is still on the hot seat but his chances of keeping the job have increased. That said, the future of the franchise is hurt by not having the No. 1 pick. The coach doesn’t care. He only cares about winning.
“We don’t do this to lose,” Pierce said during his Monday press conference. “We don’t do this for anybody’s fantasy football team. We don’t do this for anybody’s draft projections. None of that [expletive] matters to us. The only thing that matters is winning, and that’s all we want to do.”
Even if Pierce is brought back because of this win, it may not change the inevitable as the Raiders won’t be very good next season if they can’t make a significant upgrade at quarterback.
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Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders Has Eye-Opening Message Following Raiders Win