QB Shedeur Sanders (12.10.25)
Jeffery Simmons was quoted after the game saying, “this is his last team now, he’s going to be a star in this league”. Only three starts in, what does that mean to earn that respect already from the league veterans?
“Well, Jeffery Simmons, he’s a great player. Of course, he brings that energy in the game and I respect him. Of course, going into the game, even after the game and everything, that he’s the competitor he is and I was just excited to have that experience, to be able to play against him, one of the best.”
Shedeur, Kevin (Stefanski) officially announced that you’ll get to start the final four games. Obviously, you talk about how you’re thankful for this opportunity. Does it feel like this is now like a real audition to show that you should be the team’s QB in the 2026 season and the team should consider building things around you?
“Yeah, that’s a long, deep thought. Like, that’s not in my focus. My focus right now is the team we’re playing ahead, the (Chicago) Bears – anything past that I’m not really focused on, honestly. I’m thankful for it, but I’m not content with my situation, with everything. And we’re leading this team.”
The Bears lead the NFL out with 18 interceptions. So, as you go through this week, what do you have to focus on and how do you just approach that situation?
“I think when you’re approaching any week, I don’t think the intent is to ever throw interceptions. So, I don’t think – that’s a statistic that lets you know that they’re a good team. But I think when you approach each and every week, I think you know that the defenders are capable of catching an interception.”
How about Kevin Byard III, just in particular? Just how good is he and what are you seeing of him on film?
“Yeah, he’s definitely a vet. We spoke about him here, and he’s obviously a great player. Been around the league for a minute, so I have, definitely, a lot of respect for him.”
Before you even got here, you talked about wanting to work on your footwork as one of the areas in your game coming into the league. Your coaches have praised you over these past couple weeks for showing improvement in that regard. What does that look like for you, in terms of working on that, adjusting some things out there on the field, and how comfortable do you feel after three starts?
“I would say I feel the same since I first got here. You know, it’s definitely…mentally, it’s ups and downs, it’s different things, but I’ll say consistently the same. I tend to stay and feel the same. You know, in college to now, I think footwork and I think all that ties into a lot. That ties into trust, that ties into knowing where you guys are gonna be, that ties into everything. So that’s where you see the improvement, because we had that leap of faith this past week, with knowing that the receiver is going to be in the right places, looking everybody in the eyes, saying, ‘I’m going to be there, I got you’, building that foundation, building that trust. So, when I trust, then you get the best out of me, you get what I’m saying? It’s hard for me as a player to not trust things and play my best. So, I’m just thankful that we built those relationships that quickly within the receiver room, and within the team in the O-line and everything, but we’re not content.”
What allowed you to take that leap of faith?
“God did.”
Kevin mentioned you had a play at the podium earlier today where you were scrambling around, looking, looking and then threw the ball away. How do you decide when it’s time to throw it away?
“How do I decide when? I would say, like, whenever the play’s over. Sometimes you get in situations where you gotta understand the play’s over, and I’m improving in that. I had a little slip up last week for sure when knowing the play’s over. But, like, I don’t know – in those situations, sometimes it’s just like, I want to win so bad, I want to make something happen whenever we’re stagnant and stuff like that. So just learning, like from the week before when I took a sack that got us out of field goal position. I learned from that, and I was like, ‘okay, knowing where we are in the field’, understanding, like, ‘okay, I tried my first thing, it don’t work, get it out’. So, then I won’t negatively affect the team.”
I know you played two years at Colorado, but what do you think about -15 windchill in Chicago expected for Sunday?
“Honestly, I’m not…I’m focused on these plays right now. Whenever that happens, that happens. One thing you don’t want to be is mentally defeated before you get there. You know, whatever comes with, however it feels out there just comes with it. We could prepare the best we can and do everything we can to bundle up. I know you see the two sleeves I’m wearing now, so we definitely had to change the style a little bit to make sure I stay warm.”
Because of your playmaking ability, especially off platform, how hard has it been for you to, what you mentioned before, break those habits and survive for the next down?
“Not hard. It just took a little explaining – that’s it. It was a negative thing that happened for me to just slow down. But, nah, I look at everything and I understand, ‘okay, this is what I was trying to do in this situation, this is what you should do’. And sometimes it goes your way, and they’ll be like, ‘that was lit’ – sometimes it don’t. So, like, you got to limit those that wasn’t the best risk in certain situations, certain times of the game.”
You said your dad was gonna get mad at you for that pick. Did he, and what kind of advice did he give you?
“Well, you got, like, during the game and everything, I always hear his voice, like, in my ear. You know, like in certain situations, certain everything. And I know his expectation for me – his expectation for me is the highest than anybody is. So that’s where playing for him my whole life made it easier to come and play anywhere else, because his expectation, what he has done for himself, even being a player where he understands quarterbacks and everything. So, yeah, he definitely hard on me, definitely telling me, ‘get completions’, definitely telling me, like, a recap of things that I need to do better.”
Shedeur, that touchdown you ran in towards the end there, when the guy rips your sleeve. What’s going through your mind in that moment? How do you manage to stay up?
“I would say, went through the reads, it wasn’t there, and just try to make something happen. You know, when we get in the red zone, we get in that score zone, it’s a different mental shape you in, you know what I’m saying? Like, you try and do everything because the absolute worst thing for us that could happen is to kick a field goal. For the best thing for us is to score every time, so when we get in that red zone, it’s definitely something – we want to be able to put up points on the board and help our defense and help Myles (Garrett) get that sack record.”
We saw you have a little bit of banter with Jeffery Simmons, after your touchdown, threw you wrist up to him. How much do you thrive off that banter in the game, that gamesmanship of just like going after the opponent?
“Nah, like you gotta understand, that’s my character. I’m not one to do that off rip. Like, I don’t do that. I’m not a person that ever try to put someone down, try to ever like flex on somebody because there’s no purpose. It don’t really help anything. But I only do that when it was like initiated. You get what I’m saying? And he’s supposed to do that, you know, to the crowd everything, before we even scoring and did everything. So, it’s just fun, you know, it’s just fun. I don’t take anything personal. I know they don’t because it’s the heat of battle and it’s respecting on both sides. So that’s just in the game. I don’t really look too deep in it. But if I’m initiated to do it, then they kind of like, you leave me no choice.”
Of all your pass receivers, you seem to have connected with (Harold) Fannin the most. Why is that?
“He’s just in the read, he’s open. I I think you gotta know everybody’s skillset and know what they do well in. Part of that is still positioning and having everybody fit your eye. Like to cut pass to Harold, that was a little later on, still caught it and still able to make a play. And as time goes on, we’ll be able to build that trust, build that chemistry. We’ll be able to play at the same speed to play like with all the guys. So, it’s kind of like matchups, reads, what the defense is doing. Like, that’s who I tend to want to throw the ball to, whoever the defense isn’t really covering like that. It’s not really, ‘this is my favorite guy. Let me just throw it to him.’”
I saw the video, you talking to Cam Ward after the game, and he said something about what you’re doing in the offseason. You said that’s not your focus right now. Is that because your focus is these final four games, and how important then to you are these final four games?
“This is my life here, you know, so we on two different spectrums right now. I gotta focus on playing my best and being the best player I can for the team and obviously the situations are different. So, I know he puts his all into these games in these final four games, but it’s just a little bit different, because you don’t know what could happen, you know. So, I just go here, enjoy my day, work hard, do everything I can. And if I’m here, I’m here. If I’m not, I’m not. Like it’s nothing in my control. So, I try to control what I can control. That’s going out there and making the right reads, going out there doing the right things, being the person I am. And things will fall how they are supposed to.”
Shedeur, Ethan (Pocic) is out for the rest of the season, of course with the Achilles. The first part of the question is just how, I’m sure, how disappointed are you about that and how much of a help was he to you? And then how much chemistry do you already have with Luke (Wypler) from you guys having worked together?
“Luke definitely a Hungry Dawg. So, we gotta get that back connection going. But Ethan, it definitely hurt that he was out because the responsibility he took in helping everybody, whenever I was able to come in and have that different level of comfort. So, I truthfully hope I could play with him next year and I hope he’s around next year, I really do. But I’m gonna make sure I’m around too next year. But nah, Luke definitely ready to step up and do what he got to do. So, I’m thankful that we do have that Hungry Dawg connection that we able to get out there and feel back to normal, like we are on the practice field. But yeah, Po (Ethan Pocic), yeah, that hurt. That one for sure hurt because he’s definitely cool, down-to-earth guy, always get here early, always man about his business, and it’s just unfortunate that happened to him.”
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