Will Deion Sanders Pass The Nike Torch to Shedeur Before NFL Season?

Deion Sanders is one of the greatest signature athletes in the modern era. His Nike Diamond Turf line was one of the most groundbreaking and continues to move units just by being associated with ‘Prime Time’.

No signature athlete will likely ever reach the levels of the Air Jordan line, but that is understood at this point. After Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron, there might not be a better signature line with as many worthy iterations. These are incredible Tinker Hatfield designs that helped shape the on-field footwear we see today. NFL stars like Jalen Hurts, Travis Kelce and Deebo Samuel would not be wearing converted cleats from famous basketball shoes if it wasn’t for the Nike Air DT Max '96.

There is no such thing as overstating Deion Sanders’ impact on the sneaker culture or even the sports culture overall. Allen Iverson invented NBA swagger, but 10+ years before that, Deion Sanders invented NFL swagger. There is no doubt, amidst the current sneaker culture, that Diamond Turfs would continue to be a product fans would flock to for years to come. Michael Jordan proved that if a shoe is beloved enough, even consumers who never saw him play live will buy that product in massive quantities without the nostalgia effect. An issue arises though when there is a legacy in position to take over the mantle or make it his own.

After the Colorado Buffaloes 2024 football season concluded, then star quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the subject of an event held at the Nike Well Collective in Boulder. On that day, Sanders confirmed Nike was working on ‘his shoe’. Whether Shedeur was set to get a signature shoe or not is still unconfirmed.

However, last month at the Panini NFL Rookie event, Sanders did confirm that a Nike Air Diamond Turf 3 in a “Browns” colorway will be available sometime in August. Yet, there are Deion Diamond Turf 1s still scheduled to release in August and September. The OG Nike Air Diamond Turf 2 is also scheduled to be released in 2026. Nike should consider moving those August and September release dates up, to clear the way for Shedeur’s shoes to move. Then release the DT2 in Fall of 2026, as scheduled.

Deion Sanders is a sneaker culture juggernaut. Even with as popular as Shedeur is right now, competing with father’s releases would lead to less than stellar numbers on as a whole. Deion’s Nike line maximizes two factors: Nostalgia and love for ‘Prime Time’ that was built over the course of 30+ years. While Shedeur has a following that is significant, putting a release out within a month of Deion’s would be like putting Jordan Tatums or Jordan Lukas up against a Retro Jordan 11 release.

One bold prediction is that Shedeur Sanders will start for the Cleveland Browns at some point in the 2025 season. When that happens, if there is even a chance, he scores a touchdown in the east end zone at Huntington Bank Field and flexes “wrists up” to the Dawg Pound, that stadium is going to lift off its foundation. That moment could be Shedeur’s “We Are All Witnesses” LeBron-type moment.

Nike is not going to want there to be any impediments to pushing Shedeur. They will have an opportunity like they have never had in their history. One of their Mt. Rushmore-level signature athletes have a son who elevates to signature athlete status himself.

No athlete who has garnered enough star power to be a signature athlete has ever raised a child that grew up to reach that level. The moment Sanders starts a game in the NFL, he will become the first. Nike needs to understand that while Shedeur has star power, the Sanders Prince should never be forced to compete with the Sanders King.