Shedeur Sanders ends 22-year drought for Colorado QBs in the NFL

Shedeur Sanders’ long-anticipated NFL debut arrived Sunday in Las Vegas. And with it comes the end of a 22-year drought for Colorado Buffaloes quarterbacks.

Sanders' nod for the Cleveland Browns against Tom Brady’s Raiders marks the first time for a former Buffs QB to start an NFL game since Kordell Stewart in 2003. One milestone for both Sanders’ meteoric rise and Colorado’s long wait for another star at the position at the next level. 

Stewart, the dynamic “Slash” who is well-known for the 1994 “Miracle at Michigan,” last started an NFL game with the Chicago Bears in over two decades ago. He finished his career as a backup in Baltimore, where he was teammates with Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders.

No Colorado quarterback has started an NFL game since, making Shedeur’s rise as a moment of historical significance for the program.

Sanders carries with one of the most decorated careers in college football history. He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 2024 and was a unanimous Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. He completed 74% of his passes that season, throwing for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions while earning multiple first-team All-America honors.

In two seasons at Colorado, Sanders rewrote the school record book, setting more than 100 records, including career passing touchdowns, completion percentage and passer rating. He threw a touchdown in an NCAA-record 49 straight games and finished his career with 14,353 passing yards.

Now, after months of buildup and unprecedented attention, Sanders’ first NFL start begins a new chapter in one of the sport’s most publicized journeys.

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