Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been through a lot since his college season ended. He went from expecting to be a top NFL Draft pick to falling to Day 3 and being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 draft.
While on the “Best Podcast Available” with Cleveland Browns beat reporter Andrew Siciliano, Sanders explained his renewed mindset entering the team’s minicamp.
“That’s what I told myself after yesterday’s practice. I gotta have more fun, in those (pre-draft) process, it’s so serious, so serious, so serious all the time. Whenever you’re around teammates and being around everybody now, it gave me that wholesome feeling again being around the team chemistry, the different personalities that you’re going to meet, all those different types of things.”
There’s been plenty of reaction to Sanders’ comments, but Cam Newton offered his take from a player’s point of view.
Cam Newton Discusses Shedeur Sanders’ Comments
On a recent edition of the “4th & 1 Podcast with Cam Newton,” the former NFL MVP shared some words of wisdom for Sanders after saying he needs to have more fun on the field.
“Well, I’ll say it this way. I think not just through Shedeur’s case, but a lot of rookies are going into this realm of ‘Oh, this is the big leagues now. They cover sports around the clock.’ And he’s no stranger to this, but this is a different monster, though. You have to find comfort, you have to find your rhythm, your way. It’s no one’s responsibility to make sure you have more fun.”
Sanders has been shown to be a top quarterback, as he finished eighth in the 2024 Heisman Trophy voting and won the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Award. In 24 career FBS games over two seasons with Colorado, he completed 651 of 907 (71.8%) of his passes for 7,364 yards with 64 passing touchdowns to 13 interceptions.
Playing a bit looser, especially when in competition, not only for the starting quarterback position but potentially a roster spot, is going to help him play to the best of his abilities. There has been a lot of pressure for Sanders with a Pro Football Hall of Famer as a father and coach, so it could just be chalked up to more of a learning curve.
While the Browns QB room is pretty crowded, don’t expect Sanders to stay sidelined for long — he’ll soon find his rhythm in the NFL and begin to have more fun on the field again.