Inside the controversy: Why Tom Brady passed on drafting Shedeur Sanders

In a world where NFL loyalties can blur under business interests, the curious case of Tom Brady and Shedeur Sanders is raising eyebrows across the league. The former Colorado star's unexpected slide to the fifth round in the 2025 NFL Draft shocked many but what came next was even more perplexing. Despite Brady’s long-standing relationship with Sanders and his minority stake in the quarterback-needy Las Vegas Raiders, the team passed on the young signal-caller not once, but repeatedly. Why?Brady, the most decorated quarterback in NFL history, knows a thing or two about draft-day heartbreak. Pick No. 199 in 2000, his rise from overlooked backup to GOAT is legendary. So when he reached out to Shedeur Sanders after his draft fall, it felt like a passing of the torch. “Use it as motivation,” Brady told him, a mentor’s words to a young talent who had just been humbled by the system. But here’s where it gets messy.Despite having direct ties to the Raiders, Brady insists he had no input in the team's draft process. That’s hard to believe. The Raiders, still lacking a solid long-term QB plan, ignored a player with NFL bloodlines, proven college leadership, and Brady’s stamp of approval. Did business acumen outweigh personal connection? Or worse was Brady’s influence downplayed to dodge accountability?Critics aren’t buying the clean-hands narrative. Brady’s role as a minority owner might not give him final say, but to suggest he was totally removed from evaluation discussions feels disingenuous. Especially when Sanders, someone Brady reportedly mentored for years, ended up with the Browns, a team not even rumored to be in the QB hunt early on.Shedeur, to his credit, has taken the high road. He’s echoed Brady’s own draft-day mantra: tunnel vision forward. Still, NFL insiders continue to speculate: Did Brady quietly influence the Raiders’ decision? Or was this just another example of the league’s cutthroat nature, where friendships crumble under corporate strategy?Also Read: Pittsburgh Steelers' QB dilemma: Could Carson Wentz be the surprising fix they need?This isn’t the last chapter in the Sanders-Brady-Raiders triangle. With Shedeur now in Cleveland and looking to prove the league wrong, every snap he takes will be watched closely and not just by fans, but by those who let him fall. Did Brady do right by Sanders or did business speak louder than brotherhood?