Quarterbacks Shadeur Sanders and Cam Ward have become close during their offseason workouts in their home state of Texas. Tennessee Titans writer Jim Wyatt quoted Sanders discussing his relationship with Ward as the latter met with reporters during Shrine Bowl practice in Arlington, Texas recently.
Sanders and his defensive back brother Shilo are playing in the Shrine Bowl. The Shrine Bowl is on Thursday, with an 8 p.m. ET kickoff at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Miami alums edge-rusher Tyler Baron, wide receivers Sam Brown and Jacolby George and kicker Andres Borregales will play in the Shrine Bowl.
Sanders and Ward reportedly initially met during the 2023 Pac-12 Media Days when the latter played for Washington State. Sanders and Ward played against each other only once in 2023. Washington State beat Colorado 56-14 in Pullman. Sanders had to share time with two other QBs and was 6-10 for 86 yards with an interception.
Ward was 18-30 for 288 yards with two TDs and no interceptions and had 10 carries for 27 yards and another pair of scores. That was one of two games Ward had two rushing TDs in 2023. Less than two years after meeting, Sanders and Ward are competing to be the first player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
.@ShedeurSanders, who spent over 30 minutes with @Titans officials on Friday, tackles a bunch of topics at the @ShrineBowl. pic.twitter.com/nrkl5t9OCk
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) January 25, 2025
""It is really good we're going into this situation together...We're all family at the end of the day. We don't look at each other any other way. He feels he's the best, and I feel I'm the best. We play the same position, so it's just between the decision makers. Some people like him, and some people like me. It's all on preference. We're just thankful we're at least able to compete with each other, and keep playing.""Colorado QB Shadeur Sanders on Ward
Ward is the projected first pick in 2025 by the NFL Mock Draft Database. Sanders is projected second by the NFL Mock Draft Database. Tennessee holds the first pick in the NFL Draft and the Cleveland Browns hold the second overall pick. There has been some speculation Sanders might not want to play for Cleveland.
Sanders and Ward will be linked throughout their NFL careers, especially if they are the first two selections in the NFL Draft as projected. If they wind up with Cleveland and Tennessee, Sanders and Ward could potentially be competing to get to the Super Bowl within the next few years.