Shedeur Sanders Reveals How Deion Sanders Built His NFL-Ready Mentality

With his father in attendance at Allegiant Stadium, Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders put on a show in his first NFL start on Sunday.

It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, but Sanders certainly quieted some doubters by becoming the first Browns quarterback to win their starting debut since 1995. The former Colorado Buffaloes star and son of coach Deion Sanders threw for 209 yards, one touchdown and an interception, leading Cleveland to a 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

After the win, Shedeur Sanders opened up on how his upbringing helped prepare him for Sunday's spotlight.

"I was always great at understanding perspective and stuff because you got to really take a deep dive into how we grew up," Sanders said, per the Browns. "When we grew up, my dad had us in a 30,000 square-foot home. After that, he took us to go play ball in the inner city. After that, he transferred and he moved us across town because he wanted us to get that dawg in us, to have that mentality, to have that 'it' factor."

Shedeur Sanders Upbringing Helped Prepare First NFL Start Deion Sanders Coach Prime Cleveland Browns Quarterback Vegas Raider — Nov 23, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) passes against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Sanders added that attending a charter school helped him learn about others' backgrounds.

"It's not the best, but you got a lot of different people from different situations that you got to be able to adapt to," Sander said. "That's where all those core different things of being able to relate, being able to understand. Now that I went through everything the past six months, it led me to a whole different understanding. It led me in my own experience with God, with having faith, you know?

"That's why I'm truly thankful and I'm truly happy. This was the first time I've never had stress. I did the work, I did everything in my power that I could."

Sanders entered April's NFL draft as a projected first-round pick but fell to the fifth round. Two rounds earlier, Cleveland selected former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who had been starting for the Browns until suffering a concussion on Nov. 16. On Monday, Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Sanders will start in week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers.

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Shedeur Sanders Impresses In NFL Starting Debut

Highlighted by a 53-yard pass on the run to wide receiver Isaiah Bond, Sanders turned plenty of heads across the NFL world. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, he'll start again next weekend against the San Francisco 49ers.

"Coach Prime" met with his son before and after the game.

"You played good," Deion Sanders told his son, per Well Off Media. "You gotta just look at the film and evaluate yourself on the wrong."

While playing for his father in Boulder from 2023-24, Shedeur Sanders completed nearly 72 percent of his passes for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also led the Buffs to their first non-COVID bowl game since 2016 last season.