Exactly a year ago, Shedeur Sanders was in New Orleans with his family, attending NFL Honors ahead of Super Bowl 59 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. At the time, he wasn’t an NFL player. A lot has changed since then. And while Shedeur had to grind his way to where he is now, he’s officially heading into his second NFL season with the Cleveland Browns. And on his special day, his team made sure to show him love.

“about time for some birthday wishes for 1️⃣2️⃣!” the Browns captioned the post on their Instagram handle, while sharing a picture of the quarterback, wishing him happy birthday.

Shedeur turned 24 today. And it’s worth taking a moment to look back at how far the Browns’ signal-caller has come. A year ago, he had just wrapped up his final season at Colorado Buffaloes. Playing under his father and head coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur started all 13 games, led Colorado to a 9–4 record, and threw for 4,134 yards while accounting for 37 touchdowns.

Those numbers were enough to label him a projected first-round pick. Draft night, however, didn’t unfold that way. Round after round passed without his name being called. It wasn’t until Day 3, in the fifth round, that Cleveland selected him with the 144th overall pick. Even then, getting drafted didn’t immediately translate into playing time.

His NFL journey began with a four-way quarterback competition before he ever saw the field.

Shedeur fought to carve out a role in the Browns’ QB room. And eventually, he found himself buried on the depth chart as an emergency option. But after Cleveland failed to find consistency with Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel, the door opened. Shedeur earned his first NFL start and didn’t let go. Across seven starts, he went 3–4, threw for roughly 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions, and even earned a Pro Bowl nod.

Fast forward to now, and Shedeur is celebrating his 24th birthday with a very different perspective. What the year ahead brings, and how the 2026 season unfolds, remains to be seen. For now, his role in Cleveland is still uncertain. Meanwhile, Coach Prime has already made his stance clear when asked about his future in the NFL, if there ever would be one

Deion Sanders criticized NFL teams while clearing his stance on the NFL HC role

Deion Sanders has built a successful head-coaching career at the college level. That résumé alone is why he’s constantly been linked to potential NFL head-coaching openings. Even when the Browns moved on from Kevin Stefanski, Sanders’ name surfaced as a possible candidate.

That move never materialized. But the idea behind it was simple: Coach Prime has long been viewed as a viable NFL head coach. The one catch, though, is that Sanders has now made his stance clear. He has no interest in coaching in the NFL.

“Not whatsoever. After what transpired with my son last year, ain’t no way in the world,” he said on ESPN’s First Take. “When I stop like that, that doesn’t mean I’m lost for words. I’m a head coach now. You can’t talk like that.”

Coach Prime is well aware of how things unfolded in April 2025, when NFL teams repeatedly passed on Shedeur Sanders during the draft. That context makes his comments feel less like a professional preference and more like a father drawing a line after what his son experienced. After all, following four straight standout seasons at Jackson State and Colorado, many mock drafts projected Shedeur as a top-five pick.

Draft week, however, flipped the script. Shedeur slid from a projected early selection to the 144th overall pick. And while he eventually heard his name called when Cleveland selected him, that fall clearly left a mark on how the Sanders family views the league. It helps explain why Deion currently has no desire to coach in the NFL.

However, given his head-coaching résumé, it’s fair to wonder whether Coach Prime might reconsider down the road. As for Shedeur, his focus is firmly on the present, preparing for his second NFL season and continuing to write his own path forward.