Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders shouldn’t be treated like a veteran, according to former league MVP Cam Newton. In one of the most competitive sports in the country, the fiercest battles often happen inside your locker room. When the season begins, one of the Browns’ four quarterbacks will win the starting job.
If it’s not Sanders, then it’ll be one of his teammates. Not everyone will be happy with the outcome, and that tension could mess with locker room chemistry. For Sanders to earn the job, he’ll need to find his path.
Cam Newton Backs Joe Flacco: Shedeur Sanders Isn’t Owed Mentorship
Sanders, as most fans know, grew up in a famous football family. With that background, advice and mentorship were never hard to come by. From Jackson State to Colorado, he’s always had someone in his ear. But now, some believe the fifth-round pick needs to focus on figuring it out himself as he battles for a roster spot.
After veteran Joe Flacco firmly shut down the idea that he should mentor Sanders or any younger QB, Newton backed him up. The three-time Pro Bowler didn’t hold back on his “4th&1 With Cam Newton” podcast.
“So, I agree with Joe Flacco. This is the thing that every rookie, young player, or person must understand to this degree. It’s nobody’s job to teach you anything. It’s your job to make sure that you learn at your rate. It’s your job to learn, ‘Hey, how do I take notes?’ When certain things are said, you know what’s being jotted down. As a professional, you need to learn how to be a professional.”
Newton has been known to go off-script and deliver takes that raise eyebrows, but this one landed. The Browns brought in Flacco to compete for the starting role. They also traded for Kenny Pickett to do the same thing.
They drafted Dillon Gabriel and Sanders to challenge both. Flacco knows what winning a Super Bowl feels like. He also knows what it’s like to be replaced by a rookie. On Nov. 4, 2018, Flacco played his last game in Baltimore before Lamar Jackson took over.
Now, some people are saying Flacco should step up as a leader and help the younger players. But his best way to lead the Browns is by winning the job and taking them to the playoffs. Sanders, for his part, has spent his life around football and doesn’t need all the answers to come from inside the Browns’ facility.
You don’t usually see four people competing for one job, teaching each other how to take it. Every draft pick means someone’s job is on the line. For Sanders, the real competition started the moment he walked into the building.
As Newton said, the rookie can watch Flacco closely and learn from how he prepares, how he acts, and how he leads. Team culture matters, sure, but in the NFL, this is still a job.