Once doubted after taking a historic number of sacks, Shedeur Sanders found himself at the center of criticism. Deion Sanders saw the flaws but never left his son’s corner. Now that the former Colorado signal-caller has climbed to Pro Bowl territory, Deion made it clear how Shedeur’s success was not fan-driven. 

“My son did something that I didn’t do,” said Coach Prime on the We Got Time Today podcast. 

“He made the Pro Bowl in his first year. I made him in my third year. But most people don’t know that the major percentage is from the coaches and the players, their selection. Then the fans get a smaller percentage of votes. It’s not just the fan thing.”

Fans control one-third of the vote through online and mobile ballots. Players from all 32 teams vote on peers and opponents, excluding their own, while coaching staffs submit position-by-position rankings.

Even though Deion’s son wrapped up his college football chapter on a high note, it did not make his sail to the NFL any less tough. The Cleveland Browns picked Shedeur in the fifth-round. He was never the first priority for them, having been selected at No. 144 overall, 50 spots behind Dillon Gabriel. But Deion’s son transformed into an indomitable force in the pro league. Shedeur started a team-high seven games for the Browns, finishing with a 3-4 record. 

In his rookie season, Deion’s son made eight appearances, completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 68.1 passer rating. The initial Pro Bowl selections on December 23 had reserved the place for Drake Maye, Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert, and Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen. 

Herbert and Allen limped to the finish with late-season injuries. Meanwhile, the AFC quarterback room took even bigger hits-Patrick Mahomes, Daniel Jones, and Bo Nix all went down with season-ending setbacks. Trevor Lawrence was next up as a top alternate but chose to pass on the event.

While Shedeur was not among the four quarterback alternates when the list first dropped, he will step in for Maye, with the New England Patriots punching their ticket to Super Bowl LX. With this, Shedeur ends Cleveland’s Pro Bowl dry spell, becoming the Browns’ first quarterback in over a decade to earn the nod since Derek Anderson in 2008. 

The 23-year-old reached the milestone faster than his father, who, despite eight Pro Bowl selections, had to wait until 1991 for his first invite. Besides Deion, support dropped in even beyond Shedeur’s close circle.

“I’m happy for sure,” said former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman. “He has all those things, just like his dad, the great Deion Sanders, if they stop giving credit for alternates.”

But not everyone in the pro league is singing high in Shedeur’s praise.

NFL legend is not convinced about Deion Sanders’ son’s Pro Bowl hype

Cam Newton is a tough nut to break, and Shedeur is yet to soften the Carolina Panthers’ legend’s heart. Back in April last year, Newton called out Shedeur’s behavior, tagging the Browns quarterback as “snobbish-looking” who does not want to be pushed to the edge. Almost a year later, Deion’s son holds the same place in Newton’s analysis. 

“When you talk about how did Shedeur make it and they ain’t even got Trevor Lawrence? Man, look, bro, it’s a popularity contest at the end of the day. Because it’s still a business,” came the Panthers’ legend’s blunt remark. 

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While mixed emotions came Shedeur’s way about his Pro Bowl success, Shedeur has already taken Cleveland’s new head coach, Todd Monken, into confidence. Unlike former coach Kevin Stefanski, Monken has made clear his absolute support for Shedeur. 

“We tried to draft your (expletive) last year for God’s sake,” Monken said in a video posted to social media. “It all worked out. You remember that, right? Some day we’ll get a chance to talk about that.”

Monken arrived back in the NFL in 2023 with a championship pedigree, fresh off orchestrating Georgia’s title runs in 2021 and 2022. With a new head coach and a clean slate, 2026 shapes up as the biggest test of Deion’s son’s NFL chapter.