Shedeur Sanders would have been drafted by Raiders, ex-coach says

Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders could have been on the opposite sideline of Sunday’s game against the Raiders had the organization retained Antonio Pierce as coach.

“When I was with the Raiders, he was one of our top choices,” Pierce said on Sunday’s CBS pregame show. “If I would have stayed there, there’s no way he goes to the fifth round. I’m making the decision that we’re drafting him. (Owner) Mark Davis was on board with that. Our organization was on board. We believed in what we saw with Shedeur.”

Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco were fired and replaced by Pete Carroll and John Spytek, who instead traded for veteran quarterback Geno Smith and drafted Cam Miller in the sixth round.

Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, who had a longstanding personal and business relationship with Sanders dating back several years, is believed to have been part of the decision to pass on Sanders.

They weren’t alone. The projected first-round pick fell to the fifth round.

He got his first start against the Raiders and led the Browns to a 24-10 victory at Allegiant Stadium.

Sanders declined to say whether it was extra special to win his first NFL start against the Raiders because of how connected he was to the franchise.

“I was a fifth-round pick, so I got skipped by everybody at least five times,” he said. “So it just comes with the game. It is what it is. I’m just thankful for where I am now. Everybody has their differences at the end of the day, but I still got an opportunity to play, so why can I be mad?”

Sanders said he is playing for the love of the game and is thankful to have an opportunity to do that.

It’s especially satisfying considering how controversial his situation has been as a rookie falling in the draft and not getting much playing time.

“You don’t know how surreal that feeling is, knowing that you have the responsibility of the Browns organization on your shoulders, having all the fans, everybody in here arguing with each other online and everything,” Sanders said. “Everybody has their differences about me.”

Sanders, who was filling in for the injured Dillon Gabriel, finished 11-for-20 for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

“I’m not going to lie — I felt very relaxed,” he said.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski declined to name a starter going forward.

“Obviously, I’m proud of him and proud of this offense, and there are a ton of things to learn from,” Stefanski said. “But I’m just going to wear that today.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.