Cleveland Browns’ Shedeur Sanders climbs out of his father’s long shadow

CINCINNATI — Three hours before the Cleveland Browns’ season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, I walked through security and noticed a young African American man with camera equipment and a University of Colorado duffel bag.

There was an immediate buzz and security personnel crowded around the young man and began asking for selfies. Turns out he was Deion Sanders Jr., an older brother of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

The founder and CEO of Well-Off Media, Deion Sanders Jr. has documented the family’s athletic journey since Jackson State, though this was his first season documenting his brother’s rookie season in the NFL. At the security gate, everyone wanted to pose for photos, even though he wasn’t Coach Prime or Shedeur. What mattered to the folks who crowded around was that they were in the presence of a Sanders.

As we walked through the tunnel, Deion Sanders Jr. talked about what a wild ride this season had been, from the disappointing NFL draft last April (when Shedeur was drafted in the fifth round), to Shedeur’s successful preseason start in Charlotte, to his first regular-season start in Las Vegas to this season’s finale in Cincinnati. Sunday’s game was wild, too, ending with Shedeur overcoming a terrible first half and leading the Browns on a last-minute drive that ended with a 49-yard field goal that lifted Cleveland to a 20-18 season-ending win.

“It’s been a lesson, to be real,” Deion Sanders Jr. said of the season. “But it’s been a blessing. Shedeur has grown a lot this year, most importantly, grew a lot off the field mentally. There’s been a lot of stuff to learn this year.”

Sunday’s game was a high point in a 5-12 season filled with peaks and valleys. The journey began with the NFL draft. Deion Sanders Jr. was on hand to film what was supposed to have been an extravaganza celebrating Shedeur being drafted early in the first round. Instead, Shedeur slid to the fifth round, where he was the 144th pick of the draft.

Over the next few months, Deion Sanders Jr., documented his brother’s humbling but determined climb up a steep emotional mountain. He was buried on the Browns’ depth chart and only got his chance to start a preseason game because everyone ahead of him was injured.

Shedeur finally earned his first start in November against the Las Vegas Raiders and became the first Browns rookie quarterback in 30 years to win his first start. In between, there were rough outings against the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills and a win against Pittsburgh last week.

“It’s highs and lows, but in total you’re just thankful, because they didn’t have to give him a chance at all,” Deion Sanders Jr. said. “So, you’re just grateful and thankful that he has an opportunity to go through this type of stuff, ‘cause it’s what everyone goes through in life, whether its NFL or a job every day.

“I’m happy he went through it. I’m happy God allowed a situation to build this greatness, to mold him. Sometimes you’ve got to go through that fire for God to mold you, so he went through that fire.”

To his big brother, Shedeur’s greatest accomplishment this season was climbing that mountain and changing the narrative in some corners that he had been given everything because of his Hall of Fame father and that he never had to scuffle.

“He’s got a story to tell,” Deion Sanders Jr. said. “That’s the greatest thing God ever gave him as of now is a story. He’s not a rich kid whose dad has been looking out for him forever. People look at him and see belief instead of looking at him and seeing an entitled rich kid.

“People look at him and it encourages them to go harder. That’s the most beautiful thing God can do is make people look at you, make you believe in yourself.”

At the very least, people look at Sanders and see a player with rough edges but one who can actually be a starting NFL quarterback. He has had to compete for his position, something he never had to do at any stage of athletic life, primarily because his father was always his coach. And Deion Sanders Jr. is right: What’s been intriguing about Shedeur — what has carried us from Jackson, Mississippi, to Boulder, Colorado, now to Cleveland — is the story of a young man coming out from under a famous parent’s long shadow. And Coach Prime casts a very long shadow.

“We all went through it. I went through it. Shilo [Sanders] went through it. We all went through it at different times of our lives,” Deion Sanders Jr. said, referring to his brother. “Shedeur grew up watching greatness. Now he wants it for his own. All of us go through that phase; you’re not just Deion Sanders’ son. ‘Don’t call me Deion Sanders son, I have a name.’ And now his name is what it is: ‘I’m Shedeur Sanders, not just Deion Sanders’ son.’

“Growing up under that light is a blessing because you get to see greatness from up close; you see how hard work is supposed to be done. But it also leaves you wanting, like ‘Dang, I want this for myself, and I’m not just Deion Sanders’ son.’ ”

One person who is not on the fence about Shedeur is Justin Bibb, Cleveland’s 38-year-old mayor. Bibb was elected in November 2021 when he became Cleveland’s youngest mayor in a century and the city’s fourth Black mayor. Bibb said Sanders’ self-confidence, his fight and sense of community is precisely what he wants young people and young African Americans in Cleveland to embrace.

Bibb said that because his parents were not politicians. He did not have to climb out from under a parent’s shadow — his late father was a police officer and fireman. His mother is a social worker. But like Sanders, Bibbs’ family stressed excellence and dreaming big dreams.

“My parents and my grandparents instilled in me early this idea of Black excellence, and being crystal clear about how that can manifest in how you lead and how you live your life as a leader,” Bibb said during a recent phone interview.

Bibb was born in Cleveland, raised in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. He first thought about becoming mayor when he was 17 years old. As a senior at Trinity High School, Bibb said he began thinking that he could one day be mayor of the city.

“I organized a youth summit at City Hall my senior year, and I gave remarks as the lead organizer for that event at the council chambers. And that’s when I knew that I could do the job one day,” he said. “Shedeur Sanders has the same type of vision for what the Browns can be and self-confidence that he can help take the team — and the city — to higher heights.

After a tragic fire at the Rainbow Terrace Apartments last August displaced residents, caused injuries and a death, Bibb and other city leaders organized the Garden Valley Fun Fest — a community event featuring free food, entertainment, and services to help affected families. Sanders was a willing participant.

“He did a community celebration after the fire to really support those families affected by the fire,” the mayor said. “He gave out free food, free drinks, free ear buds.”

Sanders has been a familiar and popular face around the city, and has managed to overcome an initial misstep when he was ticketed for speeding. All of this is all well and good — the public gestures and acts of good will. But the overriding question in Cleveland is whether Shedeur Sanders can be the long-term answer to the Browns’ quarterback drought.

Mayor Bibb is a dyed-in-the-wool Browns fans. Like every other Browns fan, he is ready to embrace any player who can create a spark.

“In my adult life, I’ve only experienced maybe three playoffs games — less than five, let’s say that,” he said.

Last November before his first start against the Las Vegas Raiders, Shedeur was asked what he hoped to show fans in his first start.

“That I am who they’ve been looking for,” he responded.

The jury remains out, and nothing that happened in Sunday’s final game changed any mind that he is The One. What he has earned is a longer look.

“I think he showed glimpses of what’s possible as he continues his journey in the NFL,” Bibb said. “I certainly believe the energy and dynamism he can bring to the Browns is the kind of unbridled optimism and confidence I’m trying to build in the city as mayor.

“Everyone was anxious to see what he could do on the football field. Things worked out, and now he’s getting a chance to really show the fans what he’s made of. There have been glimpses of his greatness and talent, and I know that he wants to do more. I think we’re all excited to see what’s next.”

After Sunday’s game, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said he has seen enough good things from Shedeur Sanders over the past seven games to be comfortable that he has the basic qualities of what it takes to succeed in the NFL, provided he continues to grow.

“From my perspective, he has the talent to be a starting NFL quarterback,” Berry said. “You can see that with his accuracy. You can see that with his playmaking ability. But it’s a matter of how he progresses in terms of learning to play the position.”

Things may be about to get real for Shedeur Sanders as he prepares for his second season. The Browns fired head coach Kevin Stefanski Monday morning. He has had only two head coaches in college and in his NFL career — his father and Stefanski. Even if Shedeur goes into camp next season as the Browns’ QB1, the team will likely draft or bring in another quarterback to challenge.

“We believe in competition for everybody, and we have to solidify that position,” Berry said. “We will look at all avenues.”

At the same time, Berry said the team realizes that development takes time and that where Sanders is now is not where he will be even a year from now.

“We understand the development process for young quarterbacks,” Berry said. “Very few young quarterbacks look like stars after the first seven starts of their career.”

As we walked into the stadium Sunday, Deion Sanders Jr. said that Shedeur turned an emotional corner this season. He had become his own man, his own player and not just his Hall of Fame father’s son.

Shedeur Sanders found the key to climbing out from under his father’s long shadow: You play well and plant your own tree. You create your own shadow.

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