Icarus flew too close to the sun, causing his wings to melt and fall right down. This tale is translative to the tale of another famous son in the College Football realm. Icarus serves as an allegory for Shedeur Sanders. Icarus’ father made him wings, allowing him to escape his current predicament and ascend to new highs. Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders, moulded him along every step of the way into the quarterback he is today. Somebody capable of ascending into the NFL. However, he perhaps grew too fond of one team- the NY Giants. Shedeur’s now plummeting down draft boards as well, akin to his Greek contemporary. But what if Icarus actually made it to the sun? Well, he would’ve crashed and burned anyway. Similarly, a 2x Super Bowl champ thinks Shedeur would be doomed if he indeed made it to the Giants.

Shedeur Sanders’ love affair with the Giants was brewing some months ago. He wore cleats clad in the team’s iconic red and blue colors at the Alamo Bowl. He even publicly linked with their star WR Malik Nabers in the Big Apple. This wasn’t a crush either- the team reciprocated with some flirtation of their own. That viral interaction between HC Brian Daboll and Shedeur Sanders during an NFL event raised eyebrows. So did the crisp dap between the pair. However, Shedeur probably feels he got the rug swept from underneath him. The QB-needy Giants, who reportedly were edging close to drafting him, pivoted. They instead signed Jameis Winston and then Russell Wilson in free agency. This has all but killed the discourse and chances of Shedeur winding up in New York. Damien Woody thinks it’s a good thing from Sanders’ perspective.

NFL vet turned ESPN analyst Damien Woody knows all about how important getting drafted to the right situation is. A former 1st round pick himself, he wound up with the New England Patriots. This was in ‘99, when Bill Belichick already had built a solid foundation. The franchise was an environment conducive to growth and development. So much so that when a certain 6th-round pick walked in the following year, he’d become the greatest to ever grace the sport. Tom Brady wouldn’t be Tom Brady if he got drafted to a dumpster fire with a shaky regime. Which, let’s be frank, the Giants are cusping on right now. Hence, Woody thinks it’s a blessing in disguise that Shedeur Sanders won’t get his initial wish fulfilled.

Speaking on “First Take”, Damien Woody said a marriage between Shedeur Sanders and the Giants “doesn’t make any sense,” He gave two reasons, and both are to do with how precariously stood the GM and head coach are regarding their future in New York. Woody reminded the masses of Giants owner John Mara’s stance.

“We heard John Mara saying at his end-of-year press conference that ‘his patience has run out’. It’s either put up or shut up time for the whole regime for the Giants. So why in the world would a guy like Shedeur Sanders [want to be put] in that type of situation?” he remarked. We just witnessed how Caleb Williams struggled as a rookie because he got drafted to a franchise in flux. There aren’t too many Ben Johnsons spawning about. If Daboll indeed gets the boot, Shedeur Sanders could be in for years of struggle. 

Damien Woody also made the argument for how the Giants shouldn’t want a QB because Daboll is on the hot seat. He basically echoed how if the Giants choose to part ways with the coach, what happens if the next one doesn’t view Shedeur as part of their plans? It’s like clockwork how new GMs and new HCs, especially those that are offensively oriented, almost always draft their own QB. Start with a clean slate of sorts. Both arguments are valid. Shedeur Sanders shouldn’t want to avoid the Giants like the plague. But it’s not all that bad either if he slides and finds himself at a more stable franchise. After all, the higher you’re picking, the worse you currently are. Which segues into Mike Tomlin’s Steelers showing keen interest in Shedeur.

Shedeur Sanders eyeing an alternative in Mike Tomlin’s Steelers

The Steelers are stuck in limbo right now. Things in Pittsburgh aren’t bad at all, but they aren’t great either. Just…fine. The Steelers have been consistently mediocre, hovering around .500. Every year, Mike Tomlin defies the odds and winds up with a winning record. But the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. The offense has been at the crux of their inability to breach this glass ceiling. Finding a successor to Big Ben has proven a challenge. Could Shedeur Sanders be that guy? They’re certainly weighing it up. Adam Schefter just reported some very positive developments.

Over on his IG handle, Schefter reported Shedeur Sanders is due for a visit to Pittsburgh today, ie, April 10th. This comes after the franchise didn’t have too much of a physical presence at his Pro Day in Colorado. There’s a very rational school of thought that if Shedeur is still on the board when the Steelers are on the clock with the 21st pick of the draft, they need to and probably will snag him. The only caveat looming over this scenario is Aaron Rodgers’ potentially signing on as a stopgap free agent. Aaron’s indecision does edge Shedeur closer to the Steelers with just a fortnight left for the draft.

It’s fair to say the Steelers present as a better landing spot than the Giants. Conceded, they historically haven’t shown a tendency to develop QBs. There are definitely a couple of busts in Tomlin’s repertoire. However, the receiving corps. It is now competitive, if not better than the Giants after the DK Metcalf trade. Mike Tomlin’s safe in his capacity. Sure, the AFC North (which has another team in the Shedeur sweepstakes) is brutal. But the NFC East is not a weak division either. Alas, Shedeur Sanders himself doesn’t have too much of a say in the matter. He’d hope the chips fall his way when they imminently do.