Pat Shurmur spent the last two seasons at Colorado helping to coach star quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The 60-year-old coach sees similarities between Sanders and Daniel Jones, who he coached during the 2019 season with the New York Giants.
‘I think they’re very similar prospects, from a player and a person,’ Shurmur told The New York Post of Sanders and Jones. ‘I think they’re both wonderful human beings, they’re both highly accomplished, talented college players that have a chance to make an impact in the NFL, so there’s a lot of similarities between Daniel Jones and Shedeur Sanders.’
The Giants selected Jones No. 6 overall in the 2019 NFL draft, ahead of Shurmur’s second and final season with the Giants. The Duke product looked great in his first career start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was largely uneven during his five-plus seasons with the Giants.
Jones had a record of 24-44-1 and posted a passer rating of 84.3 before being released midway through the 2024 season. He was less than two years into a four-year, $160 million contract when the Giants parted with him.
Shurmur lamented he didn’t get a chance to work with Jones for a second season after the quarterback posted a career-best 24 touchdowns during his rookie season. He also made it clear that his comparison of Sanders to Jones was meant as a compliment, despite the latter’s struggles during his NFL career to date.
‘I just think he’s got a very bright future in the NFL,’ Shurmur said of Sanders, via The Post. ‘No. 1, he’s very accurate. He’s got a very heroic personality, a very heroic nature, which allows him to execute at the end of the game when it’s very important. He’s an outstanding teammate and I think he’s a wonderful human being.’
That’s why Shurmur is confident the team that selects Sanders will be pleased with their investment.
‘I can’t believe there’s a better quarterback around this year than him,’ Shurmur said. ‘Whatever team chooses to pick him, and I can’t make those decisions for anybody, I think they’re going to be very, very happy that they do.’