Deion Sanders Reveals His Hesitancy to Attend Shedeur's First NFL Start

Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is set to make his first NFL start when the Cleveland Browns take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Nov. 23. Will Shedeur’s dad, Colorado coach Deion Sanders be in attendance at Allegiant Stadium?

Deion Sanders Not Wanting To Be "Distraction"

Deion Sanders Shedeur Sanders Cleveland Browns NFL Rookie Quarterback Start Colorado Buffaloes Las Vegas Raiders Coach Prime — Nov 1, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

There’s no question that Deion Sanders has a busy schedule as the coach of a college football team. This weekend, the Buffaloes will host the No. 25 Arizona State Sun Devils in the last home game of the season at Folsom Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT.

If the game were to go 3-3.5 hours, players and coaches likely wouldn’t get out of the stadium until 10 p.m. MT. 16 hours later in Las Vegas, Shedeur and the Browns will be kicking off their game against the Raiders. “Coach Prime” was asked on the "Colorado Football Coaches Show" if he would be making the weekend trip from Boulder to Las Vegas to see his son’s game.

“I don’t know. I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’ve been urged to go. I’m pretty sure he wants me to go…You don’t want to be his distraction, but not that I ever would be,” Deion Sanders said. “But you think ‘he came all the way up here to see you’…You start thinking that as a dad because you know what it would mean to him if he catch a glimpse of you before he walks out.”

Coach Prime says he’s still undecided on flying in to watch Shedeur’s first NFL start: “You don’t want to be his distraction.”

“But then you think, you know he came all the way up here to see you? So that’s even a shorter trip to go see him.”

“You start thinking that as a dad.” pic.twitter.com/mJO2WVLq7Y
— Scott Procter (@ScottProcter_) November 20, 2025

In 2023 and 2024 at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders was the starting quarterback for his dad’s team. Prior to Colorado, the two were at Jackson State. Shedeur’s best collegiate season was his last. In 2024, he won the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award while throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. In his two years playing FBS football with Colorado, he set the FBS record for highest career completion percentage at 71.8 percent.

Once projected as an early first round pick, Shedeur was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

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First Start of Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Career

Sunday will be the first start of Shedeur’s NFL career. He made his first appearance in an NFL game a week ago in the Browns 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Browns starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel took a hit and was put in concussion protocol, taking him out of the game.

It was a rough debut for Shedeur, who went 4/16 passing for 47 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. He’ll have a chance to bounce back against a Raiders defense that has allowed the 9th most points in the NFL this season.

Kickoff for Browns and Raiders game is at 2:05 p.m. MT on Sunday and will be broadcast on CBS.