As the NFL free agent quarterback market heats back up, the rumor mill is hitting peak output with the draft less than a month away. Tuesday's news that the New York Giants signed quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year deal worth up to $21.5 million ($10.5 million guaranteed) sparked speculation the team could be passing on a rookie signal caller in round one on April 24.
That narrative didn't fit the one purportedly manifested by Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. On Monday, Chat Sports' Marshall Green posted a photo of Sanders at ProMat 2025, a manufacturing and supply chain exposition, and attached a quote of him seemingly revealing where he would like his son, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, to be drafted.
"We are hoping for New York," the unverified quote attributed to Sanders reads. There is also no video of him saying this available online.
Coach Prime's son is considered the second-best passer (No. 5 overall) available in the draft by ESPN's Mel Kiper and has been linked to the Giants in several mocks.
Deion Sanders calls Shedeur-Giants draft quote 'a lie'
Wilson's signing doesn't entirely rule out New York drafting its quarterback of the future at No. 3 overall, but it certainly called into question whether general manager Joe Schoen will be holding steady at that pick ahead of draft day.
That would make Shedeur Sanders' supposed preferred destination unattainable and with the attention on that storyline catching fire online, Coach Prime decided to set the record straight on Monday morning.
Deion Sanders took to Instagram to announce that this report is incorrect: https://t.co/k8NsvoPr3U pic.twitter.com/wDaIilgOmC
— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) March 25, 2025
"THIS IS A LIE! We're thankful for whatever God chooses for them," Sanders wrote in an Instagram comment refuting the quote attributed to him at ProMat 2025.
Coach Prime's clarification seems to have put this specific rumor to bed but it adds yet another layer of confusion directly tied to his involvement in Shedeur's draft prospects. Deion has previously said he has a list of teams that would be unacceptable landing spots for Shedeur and Colorado's Heisman Trophy-winner Travis Hunter. But he's also said he wouldn't pull an Archie Manning and force whichever team drafts them to trade them elsewhere if its not what either one wants.
Whether he likes it or not, Deion is going to have the Manning comparison made many more times between now and Apr. 24. Though he has an opportunity to change that narrative by allowing the process to play out and let Shedeur's talents do the talking in draft war rooms.