There was a long stretch during the pre-draft process where Shedeur Sanders felt like a real option for the New York Giants. They brought him in for a visit, did the homework, and gave it a legitimate chance. But things started falling apart after a rough meeting with head coach Brian Daboll. Sanders showed up unprepared for an install, threw a tantrum after the feedback, and everything fell apart.
From then on, it was clear he wasn’t the guy — and that was confirmed on draft night. They selected Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter third overall, then traded back into the first round to grab Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart at 25.
Dart made his debut in Week 4, and while the numbers won’t jump off the page, he looked the part. He moved the ball well, didn't turn over the football, and helped take down a previously unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers team. Meanwhile, Sanders is stuck behind two other quarterbacks, miming words in press conferences and creating headlines without playing a single snap. You know, just some stuff Giants fans are more than happy they don’t have to deal with.
Giants quietly dodged the Shedeur Sanders circus with Jaxson Dart pick
It’s already a media sideshow in Cleveland. Sanders can’t crack the field, and he’s already making more waves off it than he ever has on it.
After the Browns demoted Joe Flacco and promoted Dillon Gabriel to starter, Sanders decided to mime his answers to reporters in the locker room. Not a word spoken, just silent lip-syncing while cameras rolled and reporters stood there trying to make sense of it all.
This came right after a week where Sanders told ESPN Cleveland he was “capable of doing better” than a bunch of current starters around the league.
That caught the attention of former Jets head coach and ESPN media personality Rex Ryan, who had a meltdown of epic proportions on-air when speaking about the 23-year-old:
Shedeur Sanders pantomiming today was in response to ESPN analyst Rex Ryan criticizing the rookie QB earlier this week. Here is what Ryan said Monday on Get Up that led to Sanders pantomiming answers today about Cleveland’s QB change and him remaining QB3: pic.twitter.com/MDRWz8hb4h
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2025
It’s a ridiculous rant. Sure, Deion’s son could have worded what he meant better, but at the end of the day, no matter how you slice it, he didn’t deserve... whatever that ^ was. Regardless, that’s no good for any team to have to deal with. It’s just too much off-the-field noise, even if it’s not necessarily only Shedeur causing it.
Of course, it didn’t help when reports came out that Sanders told Baltimore to pass on him on draft night, either. Ironically, he told the Ravens to steer clear because he didn’t want to back up Lamar Jackson, who just so happens to likely be out this week, meaning had Sanders just let it lie, he could be starting his first game instead of pretending to talk to the media after being ripped by the media... for talking.
And I'm out of breath.
There were already concerns before the draft about the spotlight he brings. Now, it’s all playing out exactly how the G-Men feared. Even Browns fans are fed up, with social media posts calling for him to be cut and questioning whether he has any future in the league.
Related: Even the Browns know the Giants dodged Shedeur Sanders-sized gamble
Cleveland has already turned the page to Gabriel. Flacco’s still ahead of him, too. Sanders is QB3 on a 1-3 team that desperately needs quarterback help and still won’t touch him.
The Giants didn’t just dodge a bullet. They avoided a full-blown clown storm. Dart’s subtle confidence, paired with a real chance to grow into the job, has this team looking like they finally found something worth building around. That’s not happening if they went the other way.