Shedeur Sanders is on the path where 31 NFL franchises are going to say someday, ‘Man! Wish we’d picked him.’ This isn’t the son of Coach Prime, who’s gaining popularity because of his father’s name. This is a guy who came in, locked eyes with everyone in the room, and boldly stated, “I’m not here to prove anyone wrong. I’m here to prove myself right.” The rising from the ashes deal is quite the crowd puller in the NFL, and you don’t have to flip a lot of history pages for that to jump out, especially when you’ve got some serious legends backing you up.

Shedeur has the NFL’s cream of the crop going full praise-mode on him. Even his former mentor, Tom Brady, had notably hyped him up while talking about the negativity surrounding Sanders. “Use it as motivation. You’re going to get your chances. Go take advantage of it.” And isn’t that exactly what he’s doing? He’s digging deep and bringing out the best in himself in the Browns locker room. He’s even got the No. 12 on his back as a reminder of the bar he has set for himself. But it’s not just about the number, it’s also about who that number represents. And that’s exactly what another NFL legend wants Sanders to remember.

On the Nightcap show, Chad Johnson and Shannon Sharpe discussed Shedeur Sanders and the Browns’ QB room. As Sharpe put it, “Only one quarterback in play. We understand that. Hopefully, he [Flacco] can impart some wisdom. Joe Flacco’s been in this thing a very very long time.” First off, Sharpe wants Sanders to take in as much as he can from a veteran QB in Flacco. Sharpe even threw a little shade at Kenny Pickett next. “Kenny Pickett has been in the league for a while. I don’t know if I’m gonna get too much from him.” So, Sharpe’s verdict? Sanders – 1, Pickett – 0. Johnson added, “You already know who’s the best. – So Flacco is going to be the starter at some point. If Flacco is not playing. Well, Shedeur Sanders will step in and be the quarterback of the future.” But he’s also got to learn from Brady’s story.

Shannon Sharpe urges Shedeur Sanders to follow in the footsteps of his former mentor with a big vote of confidence. Sharpe said, “And if Shedeur is what he believes he is, and his supporters believe he is, when the opportunity presents itself, he’ll get in there and he won’t look back. Same thing happened with Tom Brady. Tom Brady came in as the sixth-round draft pick. – He didn’t play his rookie year, and he was sitting [on] the bench at the start of his sophomore year. Guy gets hurt, he goes in and he doesn’t look back.” So the message for Shedeur is, ‘take notes, be at your best when your number is called, and give it everything you’ve got.’ Just like Tom Brady.

And it’s not just the comparisons to Tom Brady. The GOAT himself has shared golden nuggets of wisdom for Shedeur already. Looks like the NFL veterans really see his potential and want nothing more than to help him rise to the top.

Tom Brady’s advice for Shedeur Sanders

Shedeur Sanders’ energy is catching on quickly within the Browns building. And while Sanders works hard to “prove himself right”, he’ll also have to work on not being sacked so much. But Tom Brady has a different, a bit more important mission for Sanders moving forward with the Browns, especially since their stories are so similar already. “I’m always trying to fight from behind. I was 199. I was the seventh quarterback when I started at Michigan. I was the backup quarterback in high school on my freshman team that didn’t win a game.” So, what’s the mission, GOAT?

Tom Brady’s message is clear. Show up, show out, lead by example. “He’s got to show up every day. – as a quarterback, you have to be a leader. And to me, the leader is, ‘do I care about my teammates?’ and ‘do i care about what we’re trying to accomplish?’” And looking at Sanders, he’s doing exactly that. Teammates are doing his ‘wrist flex’ all the time, and the guy’s already a “locker room favorite.” So what’s next? As Brady put it, Shedeur Sanders has to appeal to everyone. Coach, owner, staff, and, of course, the team. And as he puts everything he’s got into training for the gridiron, that appeal is already showing quite well.

This isn’t the story of the guy whose draft stocks sank like a damaged submarine. This is the story of the guy who swam to the shore and started building a legacy from scratch. As Shedeur Sanders competes for the QB1 throne, all signs point to him wearing the crown after Joe Flacco. And as Sharpe said it best, “it’s gonna happen, and when it does, be ready.”