Deion Sanders Sends 1-Word Message to Shedeur Sanders as Colorado Coach’s Hard Work Pays Off After Browns Decision

The Carolina Panthers are no strangers to spotlight-filled preseasons, but this week brings a new kind of buzz to Charlotte. After back-to-back summers of sharing the field with Aaron Rodgers when he was with the Jets, the Panthers now host the Cleveland Browns, who just confirmed that rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders will get the start in Friday’s exhibition game. Head coach Kevin Stefanski is giving him the keys—at least for one night.

A fifth-round pick? Getting QB1 reps in his first NFL action? That alone turns heads. But wait there’s more weight to this moment than just a debut. Shedeur didn’t land here by accident. He grinded through two fire seasons in Colorado, coached by none other than his father, Deion Sanders. That journey earned him 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors and a reputation beyond his years.

And as fate would have it, one of his favorite targets during that run—Jimmy Horn Jr.—is now a Panthers rookie, who’s now sharing the stage with his former quarterback. So when the two reunited this week on the field, it hit different. And Deion? He caught it all. Coach Prime reposted a reel of their sideline moment with just a simple caption: “Repost @panthers! @j5fleezy @shedeursanders.” Proof that the hard work he put in at Colorado is already paying off on football’s biggest stage.

And then there’s this other photo Deion posted. Shedeur in Browns orange, Jimmy in Panthers blue, forehead to forehead, helmets in hand. With a caption that didn’t need much dressing up: “Thank You, Lord!” It kind of must hit harder for him. Two of his guys standing in the moment they worked years for. Because Jimmy Horn Jr. isn’t just another receiver. He’s someone who knows Shedeur. When asked about their reunion earlier this week, Horn didn’t hesitate. “It’s gonna be exciting to see him again,” he said. “I can’t wait to see how he’s doing out there, get to see him in person and stuff.”

These two joined Colorado together in 2023—Horn transferring from South Florida and Sanders from Jackson State—and turned into one of the most reliable QB-WR duos in college football. In that one season, Horn caught 56 passes for 567 yards and 6 touchdowns from Shedeur. But it went way deeper than stats. Now? They’re face-to-face again but now as teammates-turned-opponents.

Pressure’s on, but so is Shedeur

With the Browns set to face the Panthers on Friday, head coach Kevin Stefanski made it official—Shedeur Sanders is getting the start under center. “We’ll rest some starters. We’ll play Shedeur at QB…get (Tyler Huntley) back up to speed. It’s a great opportunity for all of our young players,” Stefanski told 92.3 The Fan. With Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel all ruled out, that leaves just Sanders and Tyler Huntley available at quarterback. It’s a major chance for the rookie to finally make a real statement.

The timing? Wild. All camp long, Shedeur’s been working with second- and third-string units. Nothing close to this spotlight. Now, suddenly, he’s running the show against Carolina’s starters. Minimal reps, maximum pressure. He didn’t earn this shot with seniority, he got it because everyone else went down. But hey, when the door swings open, even by accident, do you really care how you got in? Just a few days ago, he was buried on the depth chart. Now he has 60 minutes to flip the story.

And from the way Shedeur’s talking, he’s not blinking. “Truthfully, I don’t care what O-line I go out there with. It could be ones, twos, threes, whatever the situation is. And I know Friday when the game is, if I’m with twos, if I’m with threes. It don’t matter to me. I’m just ready to get down and get to doing what I could.” That’s real. The moment found him early, but he sounds like someone who’s been waiting on it forever. Friday night? That will be his proving ground.