Shedeur Sanders played under his father, Deion Sanders, until he hit the NFL. With the Cleveland Browns firing Kevin Stefanski on Monday, the quarterback will now have two head coaches in his first two NFL campaigns.
A day after the Browns ended the season with a 20-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Sanders is looking forward to his next head coach.
"We just found out a couple seconds ago," he said Monday, via the team's official transcript. "But I think it's just overall the mentality, like things are going to happen, that's just how the league is. And moving forward, just focus on what we can improve, individually, for the next head coach."
Sanders grew up under his father's tutelage, following the Hall of Famer from Jackson State to Colorado. Playing under Stefanski in Year 1 took some getting used to for the fifth-round pick. Now, he'll have to build another relationship with the Browns' next hire.
"Yeah, well, this year been the first year with a different head coach than Pop," Sanders said. "So that was the adjustment off rip, and it was cool, it was straight. Like building different relationships in different circumstances, situations, which is always good to have those life goals and have those life lessons around. Just to have them on building blocks, so then you're prepared for any situation. So that's what this last year was."
Sanders took over as the starter in Week 12, leading the Browns to a 24-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. He finished the season 3-5 as a starter, including back-to-back wins to close the season. Sanders completed 56.6 percent of 212 attempts for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sunday, he led his first career game-winning drive in the Browns' win.
The rookie showed flashes of a big arm and willingness to stretch the field. The splash plays Sanders brought to a constricted offense showed promise. His accuracy and ability to extend plays are positives. However, there is a lot to clean up. The QB's processing must quicken under the next coach; he needs to avoid drifting in the pocket and negate the turnovers and negative plays. Sanders finished the season with five straight games with a turnover and four straight with a passer rating below 80.
General manager Andrew Berry, who held his job in the wake of Stefanski's firing, said Sanders is "very much a work in progress" but noted the QB flashed some positive traits.
Sanders said he believes he grew throughout the season.
"I think I did what I was able to do, and I definitely grew from a lot of things, and I got experience now," he said. "So, I'm always the same, confidence-wise, I'm there. But like, that's not in my hands. Like, that's not my decision. I can't speak on what other people feel."
Berry noted that the Browns will "do work" on the quarterback market, with the new head coach having input on the situation. The hire could have a lot to do with whether Sanders opens the 2026 season in the starting role in Cleveland.
