Deion Sanders’ old social media post about the Cleveland Browns went viral on Saturday after the team selected his son Shedeur in the NFL Draft.
Moments after the Browns traded up to take Shedeur in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, a seven-year-old post his father made began making the rounds on X. Deion Sanders posted on March 13, 2018 that he liked what the Browns were doing in terms of their offseason moves, but that young quarterbacks should not want to go there and that he would “would pull a Eli Manning if possible” were he in their shoes.
I love what the @Browns have done this offseason but if im a young QB ain't no way im going to Cleveland. I would pull a ELI MANNING If possible. #ThinkAboutthat #Truth
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) March 13, 2018
The comment about pulling an Eli Manning is in reference to the 2004 NFL Draft, when Manning infamously refused to play for the San Diego Chargers, who picked No. 1 that year. Manning ultimately got his wish by forcing a trade to the New York Giants on draft day, with the Chargers landing Philip Rivers as a pretty solid consolation prize.
At the time of Sanders’ post, the Browns were coming off an 0-16 season and held the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. That selection ultimately wound up being quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield wound up leading the Browns to a playoff win in the 2020 season, but the franchise dumped him to bring in Deshaun Watson one year later, and he wound up reviving his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Browns are not necessarily in the same place now, and Sanders’ comments then should not necessarily be taken to reflect his feelings now. In fact, there might be some reason for Deion to be happy with his son’s landing spot.
Prior to the draft, however, Sanders openly talked about steering his son to certain teams and emulating Manning’s tactics to make it happen. He later tried to shut down that narrative, even though he helped start it.
Seeing Sanders use that same language about the Browns would certainly make some understandably wary, even if the post is over seven years old. That is especially true since the Browns were rumored to be one of the teams the Sanders family was not particularly enthusiastic about.
Shedeur himself does not seem to have any issues with his landing spot. After his lengthy wait to get drafted, he is probably just pleased to be off the board.
