“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.” When Tom Brady came to the league, he was nothing short of an underdog. In his own words, he was a “late bloomer”, but that’s now how the world knows him now. After his spectacular career, the seven-time Super Bowl champ defines being the GOAT. So, when the GOAT has a message for the young QBs out there, they naturally listen. Especially when it comes right after a major clarification.

A lot of speculation had been going around about Tom Brady’s role in the fall of Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock. It all started gaining momentum when Skip Bayless’ post on X went viral. According to Bayless, “It is now pretty clear Tom Brady, who mentored Shedeur, told the Raiders NOT to take Shedeur.” Bayless also claimed Brady was “involved in Raiders draft decision-making.” But Brady cleared the air and also took a dig at Bayless when he said, “I wouldn’t have [been] part of any evaluation process or to see that. That’s the problem with media – everyone can just say whatever the f— they want.” And after that clarification, Brady also set down some guidelines for Shedeur Sanders to follow with the Browns.

On the Impaulsive podcast, Tom Brady had a clear message for Shedeur Sanders. Brady said, “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?’ Like rules one and two.” Connect with the team, show you care. That’s the message. Brady further added, “do that because that’s what’s endearing to your teammates. – you’re not just appealing to your 22-year-old rookie. You’re appealing to the 32-year-old veteran who’s trying to get the last couple years out of his career. You’re appealing to the coach who doesn’t want to get fired. You’re appealing to the owner who’s made an investment in you. You’re appealing to the staff – their lives are riding on the fact that you need to perform well.” And Shedeur? He’s listening.

Shedeur Sanders is wearing no. 12 on his back for the Cleveland Browns. It’s a not-so-subtle nod to his mentor Tom Brady, who also wore No. 12 for the Buccaneers. But the great number on his back comes with an even greater role that Shedeur must now fulfill. Brady is already in his corner as he pushes Shedeur to use the negativity around him as fuel. “Use it as motivation. You’re going to get your chances. Go take advantage of it.” And if his first day at the Browns rookie minicamp is any indication, his comeback story has begun. The Browns front office gave him the shot, and now he has to prove to everyone that it was the right call. And he’s already appealing to his team, showing that he belongs there.

Shedeur Sanders leads by example at the Browns minicamp

Shedeur Sanders has big names supporting him, and we’re not just talking about Coach Prime or Tom Brady. The Browns rookie even got a shoutout from the NBA superstar LeBron James. James shared an IG story featuring Shedeur’s first day with the Browns with a simple, but powerful message. The message? “Let’s get it 12!! 1 day at a time. 🫡” But even with so many big names rooting for him, Shedeur has chosen the humble route to greatness. He’s showing up, connecting with the teammates and establishing his skills with his new team.

According to HC Kevin Stefanski, both rookie QBs, Shedeur Sanders and Dilon Gabriel have performed well.  Stefanski also said, “We’ve spent meeting time with them out of this building. We’ve taken them through walkthroughs and then they get to go do it in uniform with the helmets on and just see what they can take from the meeting room to the grass.” And that’s not all. According to NFL insider Dov Kleiman, Shedeur was the last person to leave the field at the minicamp. Dov Kleiman writes, “Shedeur Sanders was one of the LAST players to leave the Browns’ rookie minicamp today. Shedeur is always willing to put in extra hours. This speaks volumes about his character. A mindset that can’t be taught.” This mentality right here, it will take Shedeur Sanders to greater heights. Remember that comeback story we talked about? This is only the first chapter of that.

Shedeur Sanders’ first day at the rookie minicamp was certainly something to write home about. Both he and Gabriel got equal time on the field, and Sanders made the most of it. As per a story by Browns Nation, “Sanders showcased precision passing throughout the session, delivering deep balls with touch and firing accurate passes to running backs in the flats.” Sanders had recently said he’s got everything he needs to be successful. He got a shot with the Browns, and now he’s gearing up to earn his spot on the 53-strong roster. Stay tuned folks, this is a guy who’s gearing up to be the QB1 someday.