ESPN’s Schefter: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders linked to New York Giants

The 2025 NFL Draft is now under a month away, and the Colorado Buffaloes’ stars are still in the middle of all the talks. For quarterback Shedeur Sanders, he is still projected to be taken early on in the first round, as there are still a few teams that need a young quarterback after free agency.

The New York Giants recently signed veteran quarterback Jameis Winston to a 2-year, $8 million deal, having him join Tommy DeVito as the only quarterbacks on the roster. As seen with the Cleveland Browns this year, Winston can make some great throws to win a game, but can also throw two pick-sixes to lose a game like he did against the Denver Broncos.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that Sanders going to the Giants wouldn’t be a surprising move if he’s the guy they believe in to have success in the future, despite the recent moves they’ve made at the position.

Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders has been, and continues to be, linked to the Giants, no matter what quarterbacks New York adds to its roster. With @tyschmit:

🎧 https://t.co/uCzEjxZcrk pic.twitter.com/8VpeIO2HWr

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 25, 2025

Sanders would be a reasonable fit for the Giants. He would have Winston as a veteran to help mentor him, and would most likely get the keys to the offense pretty fast. Winston, 31, spent the first few games of the season on the bench for Cleveland before Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending injury. He then started for the majority of the season before heading back to the bench.

There would be no upside for New York to start Winston over Sanders for an entire season. Having Sanders be on the bench for first few games might make sense, but, as seen with the Broncos and Bo Nix this season, trial by fire is the best way to develop a young quarterback with a lot of college experience and get him adjusted to the NFL.

Also, the experience Sanders would have under center for the Giants wouldn’t be far off from what he dealt with for the Buffaloes. The Giants allowed the 10th-most sacks in the league in 2024 and also had the 10th-fewest rushing yards in the league. Malik Nabers showed in 2024 that  he was always able to get open and make big plays happen, similar to what Travis Hunter did for Sanders and the Buffs in college.

Sanders is no stranger to the bright lights of New York City, and has already established a relationship with Malik Nabers, the Giants’ star receiver they drafted in the first round in 2024.

Shedeur Sanders and Malik Nabers linked up in NYC and were throwing the football in the streets 🔥

(via Well Off Media/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/O3itcqXcRj

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 14, 2024

Another aspect of Sanders’ path to the NFL is the amount of influence his father would have on where he’s selected. Deion Sanders, the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, recently made a bold statement about where he would like to see his son get drafted to.

Deion Sanders at the ProMat 2025

“We are hoping for New York”

Shedeur wants to be a Giant? pic.twitter.com/D6IqLGvwSE

— Marshall Green (@MarshallGreen_) March 24, 2025

While nothing is ever set in stone before the draft, all the recent signs seem to point to Sanders heading to the Big Apple to revive a franchise that just got out of the nightmare Daniel Jones contract. The team still has quarterback options to look at ahead of the draft, as both Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are still available on the free agent market. Would they rather have Winston be a backup to a former Super Bowl champion? Or would they want him to mentor a young quarterback with lots of potential like Sanders?

Pat Shurmur, Colorado’s offensive coordinator, kept it simple last week when pitching Sanders to pro teams. He said that if a team needs a quarterback, it’s not rocket science, and they should draft the man who holds a plethora of records in Boulder.