Deion Sanders offers advice to Shedeur Sanders ahead of second NFL season: 'Just put in the work'

Ahead of the Super Bowl LX festivities, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders joined Stephen. A Smith, Cam Newton, and Ryan Clark on Friday’s edition of ‘First Take.’ There, he was asked to offer some advice to his son, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

During his rookie season, Sanders played in eight games and passed for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Inexplicably, Sanders was named a Pro Bowl Games replacement following the season. Heading into his second campaign with Cleveland, he will have to regain the starting role with newly hired head coach Jeff Monken at the helm.

“Work. Work,” Sanders told his son. “That’s the way you win everything in life. With work. I ain’t never seen anyone who don’t wanna work win, or succeed or become successful. He’s a worker. He’s a bona fide worker. It’s funny because all the bull junk they were putting out on him last year… where has that gone?

“Where has that gone, because he’s a true leader and he’s a bona fide baller. He can play. He can study. He’s prepared. When he walks into a room, he knows how to win it. But just work. Get in there with the head coach and the OC and get in the playbook early. Just put in work.”

Shedeur Sanders will participate in Browns QB competition during training camp

Across two seasons at Colorado (2023-24), Shedeur Sanders shone as one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football. He completed 71.8% of his passes for 7,364 yards and 64 touchdowns with just 13 interceptions. He was named the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner, a Second Team All-American, and a First Team All-Big 12 selection.

He was expected to be a first round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, but fell all the way to the fifth round, where he was snagged by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 overall pick. The Baltimore Ravens attempted to select Sanders at pick No. 141, but he reportedly told the organization not to draft him.

Heading into year two in Cleveland, Sanders is one of just three quarterbacks on the roster (Dillon Gabriel and Deshaun Watson). This past season, Gabriel played in 10 games and passed for 937 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions. Deshaun Watson, meanwhile, did not see the field last season and has played in just 19 games since the beginning of the 2022 season.