Shedeur Sanders’ fall from a projected first-round pick to a fifth-round afterthought was just the start of his brutal rookie season with the Cleveland Browns. Even when he did start delivering in the latter half of the season, their campaign ended 5-12. His brother, Deion Sanders Jr., recently offered an unfiltered look at the toll it took.

On DukestheScoop, host Phillip Dukes asked Deion Sanders Jr. about that now-viral moment between Shedeur Sanders and new Browns head coach Todd Monken. The former Baltimore Ravens OC said they wanted him last year.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Deion Jr. said from his perspective, acknowledging that the NFL is a different ballgame. “Not him saying this, but I felt like I could see it took a toll on him. He was so used to people in the building and people on his team ultimately believing him.”

Back in Colorado, even when things went sideways, belief never wavered. Deion Jr. brought up the Utah game from Shedeur Sanders’ final college season. The first play of the game was a pick leading to immediate disaster. But on that sideline, nobody panicked. As Sanders Jr. narrated, coaches and players told him, “Bro, you still Shedeur. Don’t even worry about it. You’re going to turn up.” What happened next? 

Shedeur Sanders responded to another turnover, a fumbled snap, with an 85-yard TD drive, including a fourth-and-8 strike to Travis Hunter. He finished 30-of-41 for 340 yards and three TDs. That’s how that building operated under Deion Sanders. But Cleveland wasn’t Boulder. 

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“It’s those people around you, the staff, everybody that’s lifting you up every time something bad happens,” Deion Jr. added. “They’re going to get on your a–. But they’re also going to be like, bro, you good. And I feel like now that he has that again, I think that’s going to help his mental just tremendously.”

In 2025, Shedeur Sanders finished with an 18.9 QBR, the fifth-worst mark among 696 QBs with at least 200 attempts. Worse, it’s the lowest single-season QBR by a Browns QB with at least six starts. In eight games, he completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven TDs, and 10 interceptions. And yet, he was named a Pro Bowl alternate. That tells you the NFL still sees something. And the QB didn’t hold back.

“I proved to myself I’m able to dominate in this league,” he said on Up and Adams. “To do it on a consistent basis, that’s what the goal is.” 

Shedeur Sanders is excited to play for Todd Monken

Shedeur Sanders didn’t hide his excitement after meeting Todd Monken. 

“I’m thankful I was able to meet Coach,” he said before a Pro Bowl game practice. “I feel like we definitely have a connection just in talking to him and seeing kinda like his vibe, and he has a great vibe about him.”

He also talked about the coach’s work with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, who had an MVP season in 2023 and first-team All-Pro honors in 2024. Todd Monken didn’t mince words either.

“Hey, we tried to draft your a– last year for God’s sake!” he joked. “It’s all worked out.”

Being wanted matters. Remember, nothing was handed to Shedeur. The Browns even took Dillon Gabriel ahead of him. He only got extended action after Joe Flacco was traded and Gabriel struggled in six starts. Now, the starting role is “to be determined,” according to Todd Monken, and he’ll compete with Gabriel and Deshaun Watson. If he gets back to playing loose, backed by a staff that believes in him the way Colorado did, his big brother will have a different story to tell.