Shedeur Sanders and Deion Sanders (Photos via USA Today)

The Cleveland Browns have a variety of quarterbacks to evaluate this summer, including veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett and rookie draft picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson will be lingering as the high-priced quarterback recovers from tearing his Achilles tendon twice during last season.

Watson is reportedly chipping in beyond his recovery duties.

Watson is taking on an additional role this offseason as he recovers from a re-aggravated Achilles injury: mentoring QBs.

Watson is said to be a source of support to the four quarterbacks vying for the starting job, including Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders, whom the former first-round pick has taken “under his wing,” according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.

“Watson has been an awesome teammate inside the quarterback room and meeting rooms, and has been a great cheerleader for the four quarterbacks vying for the starting job,” Cabot reported Sunday, citing sources.

Powerful: Deshaun Watson is taking Shedeur Sanders ‘under his wing’ as a mentor to the Browns QBs.

Despite being hurt, Watson is helping Sanders.

The definition of a fantastic leader 👏

(via @nypost) pic.twitter.com/NO2XeK5Svt — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 30, 2025

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“… He’s been especially helpful to the rookies in Gabriel and Sanders, who are working overtime to remain in the starting mix.”

In the case of Shedeur Sanders, the 23-year-old son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Watson is said to be aiding the former Buffaloes quarterback “come up the learning curve quickly, and it’s been working,” Cabot reported.

Three years after signing a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, he has only played 19 games with the Browns. He has a shot of playing in 2025, but the team might not want to risk it and just part ways with their mistake during the next offseason.

Social Media Was Worried About Shedeur Sanders

Shedeur Sanders (Jeff Lange-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

“Giving him tips on the best ways to ‘work out’ his stress depending on the cities. That really the thing he has expertise on!” one fan said.

Giving him tips on the best ways to ‘work out’ his stress depending on the cities…..

That really the thing he has expertise on ! — jpastaman (@jpastaman) June 30, 2025

“Is he taking him to all of his favorite massage parlors?” a second fan asked.

Is he taking him to all of his favorite massage parlors? — Señor Colina (@tkhill44) June 30, 2025

“Is he mentoring him on nearby Massage Parlors?” a third fan asked of Deshaun Watson’s stance with Shedeur Sanders.

Is he mentoring him on nearby Massage Parlors? — 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) June 30, 2025

“Someone in the Browns organization leaks this to make the Watson contract look a little less shitty. We’ve seen his burner account ole Vernon Pritchard there is zero chance he’s mentoring him in good faith,” a fourth person added.

Someone in the Browns organization leaks this to make the Watson contract look a little less shitty. We’ve seen his burner account ole Vernon Pritchard there is zero chance he’s mentoring him in good faith. — Judge MVP Szn 4 Loading ✭ (@MJO316x) June 30, 2025

“I can’t think of a better role model for a kid who already has every distraction in the book,” a fifth person wrote.

I can’t think of a better role model for a kid who already has every distraction in the book — Ohio Divided (@BuckeyeNatty) June 30, 2025

“No truth to the rumor that Sanders is driving the getaway car when he picks up Watson from the massage parlor,” a final person commented.

No truth to the rumor that sanders is driving the getaway car when he picks up Watson from the massage parlor. — Pats Godfather (@PatsGodfather) June 30, 2025

Also Read: REPORT: Shedeur Sanders’ Chances Of Winning Browns’ Starting QB Job Have Already Been Decided By “Unfair” Competition

Shilo Sanders, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ newest safety and son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, is making headlines off the field with a hilarious and unexpected moment involving a senior Bucs fan–and a light-hearted jab at his dad, famously known as Coach Prime.

While interacting with fans, Shilo found himself helping an older supporter who was struggling to flip his phone camera into selfie mode. Rather than simply assist, Shilo took the opportunity to crack a joke: “You kinda look like how Coach Prime will look in a few years.” The crowd around them burst into laughter, and the clip quickly made its rounds on social media.

The moment highlighted Shilo’s natural charisma and his growing presence in the NFL–qualities that made him a fan favorite at Colorado and helped him land a spot on the Buccaneers roster earlier this year.

Shilo Sanders gets praise from WWE legend Ric Flair in a genuine moment of friendship

The light-hearted jab wasn’t malicious, of course, but fans loved the candid nature of the exchange and the playful father-son dynamic it revealed.

Fans love the Sanders family energy

Shilo’s new role in Tampa Bay has only magnified the attention on him, especially given his ties to one of the most iconic names in football. With Shedeur Sanders on his own NFL journey and Coach Prime continuing to generate headlines at Colorado, the Sanders family remains a central force in the sports world.

For Shilo, moments like this show he’s not just riding his father’s legacy–he’s creating his own path, both on and off the field. With humor, confidence, and a growing fan base in Tampa, Shilo Sanders is quickly proving he belongs in the NFL spotlight in more ways than one.

Despite the negative stigma that the 23-year old has battled since well before his steep fall in the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders has done in Cleveland what he always has: Attack each day with confidence while taking advantage of each rep — even if limited — he gets. AP

One thing Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders rarely gets credit for is working hard for a job he (or his brother, Shilo, who joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an un-drafted free agent in April) clearly does not need.

Despite the negative stigma that the 23-year old has battled since well before his steep fall in the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders has done in Cleveland what he always has: Attack each day with confidence while taking advantage of each rep — although limited due to a crowded quarterback room — he gets.

Browns veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson, who will likely miss the 2025 season after re-rupturing his right Achilles tendon in January, has apparently taken Sanders “under his wing,” and both Sanders and fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, are reportedly “working overtime” to earn roles on the field this fall.

“Watson has been an awesome teammate inside the quarterback room and meeting rooms, and has been a great cheerleader for the four quarterbacks vying for the starting job,” wrote Cleveland.com reporter Mary Kay Cabot.“… He’s been especially helpful to the rookies in Gabriel and Sanders, who are working overtime to remain in the starting mix.”

Yet, videos posted recently on X reveal the Sanders family’s 5,000-acre Texas ranch, including their own private gas station, prove how easy it would be for Shedeur to punt his NFL dreams.

The Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League added Sanders to their list of 45 players they want on their negotiation list Wednesday, saving Sanders a roster spot in case he is eventually cut and wants to opt in.

Shedeur also boasts a large following, lucrative endorsement deals, and a ready-made job with Coach Prime in Boulder if the NFL doesn’t work out, or when his playing days conclude.

The Browns selected Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the 144th pick — two rounds after drafting Gabriel 94th overall out of Oregon.

Despite being touted as a top-10 pick — and an option for the New York Giants at No. 3 — Sanders’ free fall was attributed to several factors. Those include his perceived lack of physical gifts, his behavior during the draft process, and the perception of his family’s influence. Some analysts and team officials also point to his on-field decision-making and his tendency to take unnecessary sacks.

Meanwhile, some see a coordinated effort by the NFL to humble the son of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, who coached Shedeur for one year at Jackson State and two at the University of Colorado, and who some feel could eventually replace Shedeur’s NFL head coach.

Yet, some say it’s Sanders, and not Gabriel, who appears best positioned to eventually wrestle the Browns starting quarterback job from veterans Joe Flacco — once the perceived favorite to win the nod when the Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals in the season-opener on Sept. 7 — and Kenny Pickett, who insiders are conflicted on, if Sanders could just get the reps to prove it.

Sanders was named a first-team All-American by several publications, including College Football News, in 2024. He also won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which goes to the top quarterback in college football.

Todderick Hunt covers Sports and Culture and Recruiting. Have a story idea or a tip? He can be reached atthunt@njadvancemedia.com.

The Cleveland Browns have five quarterbacks on their roster. One, Joe Flacco, is a Super Bowl MVP and 17-year veteran.

Another, Kenny Pickett, was a first-round draft pick just three years ago. Deshaun Watson remains injured, but the fourth QB was the Browns’ third-round pick this year, 96th overall, out of Oregon. That was Dillon Gabriel.

Finally there is the Browns’ fifth-round pick this year. But that one, the low man in the Cleveland QB pecking order may be the one who ends up winning the starting job — Shedeur Sanders.

At least, that was the rather startling prediction offered by a former head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Herm Edwards, speaking on Friday in a radio interview.

Sanders ‘Knows How to Do Things’

“He’s a pro. He knows how to do things,” the Chiefs coach from 2006 to 2008 said of the former Colorado signal caller. “He’s going about it the right way. When the lights come on and they start playing in the preseason — look out!”

But Edwards, who also coached the New York Jets from 2001 through 2005 before taking over the Chiefs’ job, went on to make a more specific and shocking prediction. Despite being the quarterback with the least credentials, Sanders will beat out his three competitors and become the Browns’ starter.

Really?

“I think when the preseason starts, the eye test tells me, he’s going to find a way to beat those guys out,” the 71-year-old Edwards said in the interview.

It is true that despite holding a highly coveted NFL head coach’s job for eight years, three with the Chiefs, Edwards was not the most successful head coach. In his final year with Kansas City he guided the team to a 2-14 season. In four of his eight years, his teams finished with losing records. So perhaps his credibility is not the highest.

Not Just Edwards Seeing Bright Future for Sanders

It should be added, then, that Edwards this week was not alone in predicting that Sanders will open the 2025 season as the Browns’ starter.

“It is going to be so much pressure put on this organization. It has been years and years and years since the Browns have had a consistent, good quarterback. And you sneak and get this one in the fifth round,” said analyst James Jones of the FS1 network.

“If he steps into this preseason and he plays well and he looks like he’s been looking out here at practice, and he looks like the Shedeur Sanders from Colorado, you have to start this young boy week one,” Jones continued.

Sanders is perhaps best known for his media-friendly personality and sophisticated ability to market himself commercially — a trait he likely picked up from his father and college coach Deion Sanders, an NFL Hall of Famer, eight-time Pro Bowl pick, and inarguably one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time. But the elder Sanders has also made the most of his flamboyant persona as “Prime Time.”

But based on reports from the Browns spring practices, the quarterback “made an impression” on his coaches. As a result, when training camp opens in late July, Shedeur Sanders’ bid to out-compete his fellow quarterbacks will likely be taken more seriously than a typical fifth round pick in a crowded field otherwise would be.

“If Shedeur Sanders continues to progress in training camp like he has over the past two weeks, he’ll narrow the gap on the other three Browns quarterbacks in the competition,” wrote Browns correspondent Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Let’s be honest, Shedeur Sanders should’ve never been available on Day 3. Now, former NFL linebacker Bart Scott is saying what a lot of us have been thinking.

“You deserve to be fired,” Scott said on ESPN’s Get Up, “if you are afraid of a man taking your job, so you don’t take his son. I guarantee 3-4 of them are gonna be in the unemployment line.”

🔥 Standing Up for Shedeur. Former NFL Player @BartScott57

“You deserve to be fired if you are afraid of a man taking your job so you don’t take his son. I guarantee 3-4 of them are gonna be in the unemployment line”

📽️ @GetUpESPN https://t.co/W4PoaTBNnq pic.twitter.com/7Pg1Lvu1fg — JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) June 2, 2025

That’s an indictment on these NFL coaches. Because while Sanders fell to the fifth round, several NFL insiders, including Robert Griffin III, suggest it wasn’t just about tape or pre-draft meetings. It was fear. Fear of Deion.

It sounds wild on the surface. But multiple reports suggest some NFL head coaches were hesitant to draft Shedeur Sanders high, fearing that if things went sideways, their GM—or even ownership—would be tempted to bring in Coach Prime to “fix it.”

RGIII didn’t hold back.

“I’m being told some NFL Head Coaches feared drafting Shedeur Sanders in the first round as a starter,” Griffin posted on X. “It not working out and then eventually being replaced by Deion Sanders as Head Coach. That’s weak and cowardly. Cost this man $40 million.”

Whether or not Deion actually wants an NFL job—he recently signed a $54 million extension at Colorado—doesn’t change the perception. And in the NFL, perception is often reality. Especially when job security is thin and reputations are fragile.

Kevin Stefanski is on the hot seat—but he took the risk

One coach who didn’t shy away from the Prime-Shedeur connection? Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski.

There’s now way Cleveland drafted Sanders because it was safe. The Browns are coming off a brutal 3-14 campaign. Deshaun Watson may not play in 2025. Stefanski’s job is far from secure.

Yet, he and GM Andrew Berry doubled down, drafting both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders to revamp the quarterback room.

Berry’s explanation? They believed in the value.

“We spent a lot of time with Shedeur throughout the process,” Berry said. “He’s highly accurate, can play well from the pocket, very productive college career. We didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round.”

But he was. Because some coaches let fear cloud their evaluation.

Shedeur’s focus is football

While rumors and speculation swirled, Shedeur has handled everything with grace. He got back on the field, back to work, and kept the focus on football.

“This is the first time I’m not coached by my dad,” he said on his 2Legendary podcast. “Coach Stefanski’s gonna push you…make sure you’re the best in all areas.”

That’s exactly the mindset Cleveland needs right now. No politics. No distractions. Just growth and production.

So far, reports out of OTAs are promising. Shedeur looks polished, confident, and hungry. He’s drawn praise from veterans like Joe Flacco, and young teammates like Kisean Johnson have already referred to him as “my QB.”

NFL may regret this one

Shedeur Sanders’ fall to Round 5 will go down as one of the most bizarre draft-day slides in recent memory.

This wasn’t about mechanics, production, or possibly even his personality. This was about politics. This was about fear.

And if Shedeur plays the way many expect—especially if he wins the job in Cleveland this fall—there are going to be a lot of GMs and head coaches explaining why they passed on a franchise quarterback because of who his dad is.

But Bart Scott is right, if you miss on drafting the right QB, you’ll be fired anyway. So what are they all so afraid of?

As for Deion? He’s made it clear he’s committed to Colorado.

“We’ve just scratched the surface of what this program can be,” he said in April. “It’s not just about football. It’s about developing young men ready to take on the world.”

Coach Prime’s mission is rooted in Boulder. So everybody needs to just relax.

Let Shedeur do his thing.

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