Deion Sanders wants his son to have a long and fruitful NFL career. But he would like him to play in a place that isn’t too cold.
During an appearance on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio, Sanders spoke about this year’s presumed #1 overall draft pick, USC’s Caleb Williams, and the possibility of him playing in the “Windy City” of Chicago.
Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans throws a touchdown pass against the Tulane Green Wave in the second quarter of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on January 02, 2023 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
“Let me tell you something that I have a problem with,” Deion told Russo. “And this kid can flat out play, I think he’s the best one on the board this year for sure. A kid that’s coming from California for the last couple years, right? And went to Oklahoma. That’s not terribly cold. Chicago’s cold, man. You gotta think about that kind of stuff when you’re taking a young man. Like see, when you take a guy from Ohio State and you bring him to Chicago, OK, I could understand that. But from California to Chicago? Not only that, they added what? One or two more games in the NFL. Seventeen games. Come on, man. You gotta factor in that stuff. That stuff matters.
“Like, I don’t want my kid [Shedeur] going nowhere cold next year. He grew up in Texas. He played in Jackson, played in Colorado. Season’s over before it gets cold in Colorado. I’m just thinking way ahead. I don’t want that for him.”
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes warms up before a game against the Colorado State Rams at Folsom Field on September 16, 2023 in Boulder, Colorado. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Weather is a factor in warfare and sports. Deion is not wrong to consider it. Still, there are plenty of examples of players from warm-weather locations thriving in cold-weather environments. Buffalo’s Josh Allen is from California and has found great success in freezing Wyoming and Buffalo. C.J. Stroud is from California and played very well in Ohio. Brett Favre is from Mississippi and played his Hall of Fame career in Green Bay, Minnesota, and New York.
And even in the case of Chicago, their most recent quarterback, Justin Fields, is from Georgia. However, none pin his struggles in Chicago on the weather.
Again, it’s not wrong to consider weather as a factor. But it’s probably wrong to say you won’t go somewhere because it’s cold. Still, any cold-weather team drafting in 2025 might want to make sure Shedeur is willing to play for them before spending a pick on him.
