QB Shedeur Sanders (7.25.25)

How are you doing?

“Good, Good. Blessed to be here. Of course. I’m happy all y’all here. I’m happy that the fans are able to be here, and I’m excited to be a part of this.”

 

Had to wait till Jerome (Baker) was done back there?

“Yeah, for sure. It’s a respect thing. You know, I know a lot of people want the content. I know I’m a producer, so. Nah, I never want to make anybody feel any type of way about anything. So, it was important that he gets everything he needs to say out, and everybody captures what he has and then now I’m here.”

 

Shedeur, I know the reps are being divided up between you four, how do you maximize the time when you’re not getting the reps? What do you do to kind of take advantage of that? 

“I would say just have a deeper level of understanding, because I know whenever I get my opportunity, I got to maximize it. So that’s something you have to change in the mentality standpoint, and a mental standpoint. I just got to think about what I could do to get better. Even if I’m not getting reps , it’s no problem.”

 

Some of you guys have talked about the mental intensity that they want to have at training camp these first two days and going into the third. What’s your mindset, and how are you approaching that intensity?

“I would say just learning. Everyday, of course, I’m learning different things because I know the opportunity will come whenever it comes. I want to be able to know the ins and outs and know the full everything. So, I don’t want to really make too many mistakes when it’s my time.”

 

Where do you feel like you’re getting the most comfortable coming back from minicamp in the first couple days of training camp?

“I’d say definitely the playbook. Yeah, I’m getting super comfortable in the playbook for sure, and it’s helping me out overall on the field.”

 

I know you guys are a little short on bodies here with pass catchers. Watching you yesterday in the early part of practice, and sometimes you’re throwing to some of the equipment guys, like, how do you maximize those opportunities even when it’s not a pass catcher that’s going to be on the roster?

“It doesn’t really faze me. You got to understand, we came all the way from HBCU to Power Five, and now we here. So, at this point, if you look around, there’s nothing, that’s a challenge, I say.”

 

How are you approaching the four-man competition as you get to training camp? As we get closer to preseason and then week one? 

“I’m focused on doing me. I’m focused on learning what I need to learn. That’s simply it.”

 

Are you thinking about winning that job for week one?

“I don’t think nobody in this organization is here if they’re not trying to win. Honestly, I think, you know, they trying to win who gives out the best water and Gatorades out here? So, it’s definitely a competition. Everything in life. So many cameras out here, it’s definitely competition with content obviously, too. So, I think everything in life boils down to competition.”

 

Shedeur, you’ve been a star for your entire life. So how difficult is it to be patient, as you said, waiting for your turn?

“I’ll say it’s different phases in life, different things in life you have to go through, you know, and that’s all it is I’ll say for me. It’s building blocks. You know, sometimes I always had to get overly prepared and had to worry about a lot of different things just from my youth to high school to college. And I never had a chance to, I’ll say, sit back and learn more in depth everything. So, I was always thrown in the fire, and I always exceeded expectations.”

 

Yesterday, Andrew Berry mentioned…

“Speeding, huh?”

 

That he thought it wasn’t smart. I figured somebody had to ask, so he said that it wasn’t smart. He said he talked to you. He said, Kevin (Stefanski) said he also talked to you. So, I’m just wondering, you know, what did you learn from that incident? 

“Yeah, I definitely learned not to drive fast at all. So, I really, I really don’t even drive like that much anymore. But I really don’t drive fast at all. So, I definitely follow the rules. And I hope everybody learned from my situation, you know, to not drive fast at all.”

 

Yesterday was a long, hot day, and your red zone period looked a little frustrating. How frustrating was it those for reps you had at the end? 

“Nah, this is the thing. I don’t never take anything as frustrating because I know everybody tries their best. So like, even, you know, throughout everything in college and everything, I was never frustrated ever at teammates, at everybody, because I know everybody’s going out there doing their best. So, if you’re doing your best and you tell me, you look me in the eye and tell me you’re doing your best. I know I’m out here trying to do my best. I know I make mistakes. I know you make mistakes. So, it’s like, why would I be mad? We are all in similar situations, so that doesn’t really frustrate me at all. You know, it doesn’t frustrate me being able to have an opportunity to. We have days on days and days and just relationships and, you know, you could look at somebody in their eye, and be like, ‘My bad, bro.’ Like, that’s what it was. I’m like, ‘All good. It’s no problem.’ Because who knows how much time everybody has to spend together. It’s about relationships overall. So, I don’t want any memories of me being negative or being mad at any situation that happened.

 

Shedeur, last time we saw you out in public, you were at the Rainbow Terrace event, and you were really embedded in the community, which you’ve done so much of that since you’ve been here in this short time. Why was it important for you to be there and just be doing all the things that you’ve been doing?

“Well, I’ll say it’s definitely – it’s something I feel like God put me here to do, you know, regardless of whatever the situation is here The fact that I’m able to bring light to the community, to different situations, that’s of course, my calling. So, yeah, I’m just excited that, you know, one decision and one thought can impact so many lives and have people remember that. So that’s kind of like how I go about things. Nothing’s ever, like I say, pre planned or a well thought out plan. Like, it’s none of that. It’s okay. I have one thought — alright, let’s do it. Like, and that’s just how it goes.”

 

I know you said you’re trying to maximize those reps, and the fact of the matter is, like, it’s probably like the fewest amount of practice reps you’re getting like, maybe in your whole football career. Like, I’m curious. Can you kind of take me inside? What does before practice look like? What does after practice look like? You talked about, you know, the virtual reality. Are you spending more time with Bill (Musgrave) — kind of just take me into what that preparation is?

“Before practice, of course, it’s jotting down all the plays, and it starts the night before, of course. But training camp, you get a lot of different plays each day, and you don’t know who’s gonna get in what. So that’s the exciting challenge that it is. Like, dang, you don’t even know what reps you gonna get. So, you gotta be ready for everything. That’s how it is, you know, in games also. So, jot down the plays. Understand conceptually what it is. I’ll say from rookie minicamp and OTAs to now, I learned more in depth with everything, you know, so I’m just excited I’m able to have this approach with things and take full advantage of it.”

 

What about after practice?

“Oh, after practice, for sure. I gotta get a good meal in. So that’s the first thing. Get a good meal in recovery, of course, and then get on the iPad, watch everything. Then, I can’t give you too many details on how to try to –because when I go in practice, I gotta maximize my moments. So, I gotta study our defense too. So that’s what it is.”

 

All of us keep getting asked the same question, and none of us have the answer. So maybe you could give us the answer. Why aren’t you getting any reps with the ones at any point?

“I don’t think that’s my place to even be able to give the answer to that. I feel like it’s not in my control, so I’m not even going to think about that or have that even in my thought process of why it is. There’s a lot of people that want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I’m here, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, it is. But it doesn’t make me feel down or it doesn’t make me feel left out or anything, because I know who I am as a person. I know who I am as an individual, and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than, you know, in any circumstance.”

 

I saw that your dad went down and visited Shilo (Sanders), so is he going to come here and visit you as well?

“Yeah, I’m not sure. I’m not sure. I’m telling you when I tell you I was cut off from the world, it’s been hard to even make phone calls, you know, obviously, because you got to have the decompressed time for sure after practice. But recently I just been following up with the other former, like (Colorado) Buffalo players and stuff like that, so that’s really who I’ve been talking to.”

 

Shedeur, when you say that there’s been a little bit of everything as far as from when you first got here to now, in regard to growth and adjusting and things like that. But what’s been the most impactful or significant point for you since you came in that rookie minicamp to now as you get into the early part of training camp?

“In the football world? It’s hard to answer that because what’s important and what I feel like the biggest thing could have been last week, is what I just learned today or yesterday. So it’s always consistent growth and it always feels like I just solved a puzzle or anything, like, all the time. So regardless if it’s even relationships with the O-Line, relationships with receivers, talking to Denzel (Ward), you know, playing with him, like playing with all the DBs, different type of stuff like that it’s always big, you know, it’s always a big moment. So I can’t say what’s exactly the biggest moment. I’ll say just even connecting with the kicker, like in the sauna, just talking about God and everything, like, it’s a lot of different moments and, like, unscripted things that just happen. So that could be the biggest moment.”

 

Shedeur, we heard from Bill Musgrave today. What’s it been like working with him, especially knowing your dad has spoken so highly of him before?

“Yeah, Coach (Bill) Musgrave is cool. Yeah, he’s real cool. And he always tells you definitely old terms. He is like a history book. Like, he tells you so many stories about different things. It’s a bunch of different age ranges in the room. So, it makes everything like, dang, he remembers a lot of stuff from back then.”

 

What’s his best story?

“I don’t know. It’s new stories every day, and I’m fully bought in.”

 

Have you ever met Bill before coming?

“I would say probably in the pre-draft process, for sure.”

 

But I mean like before that you hadn’t met him when you were a kid?

“I don’t think so. And I don’t remember back then. Probably not.”

 

We know you have a huge following. Fans are going to be out here for the first time today, first time you get to practice in front of Browns fans. What do you think that’s going to be like? What do you think the reception is going to be like?

“I’m definitely focused on getting completions when I get out there. The external is cool. I’m thankful for it. I’m thankful for all y’all coming out here, being able to document everything and doing what y’all got to do. But hey, when I get out there, I’m not thinking about external. I’m thinking about more, in the organization, thinking about getting the play calls, executing my job, and doing what I got to do.”

 

You’ve actually been involved in the community a lot since coming to Cleveland, helping out fans, like with the fire at the apartment. What do you think about Cleveland so far? How do you like it? How have you felt with the fans that you met so far in town?

“Yeah, it’s exciting. Whenever we had the KFC thing, it was so many people there, it was crazy. That type of stuff is just cool because like I say, you live each day at a time. You don’t know when anything happens. You could be alive one day and pass the next day. So, it’s like I like to be able to at least make my impact and for you to actually, you know, feel my energy while I’m here, while I’m alive and while anyone else is here. Because who knows, anybody could get a job somewhere else and then be gone the next day, you know, and all you have, the last thing is just the last memory. So, I want to at least make sure, you know, my impact and what I’m remembered for here will always be good.”

 

What do you feel like the biggest adjustment for you has been going from college now being here, whether it’s something on or off the field?

“I would say definitely Shilo (Sanders) not being here. I would say that’s the biggest thing. That’s the biggest change. Because Shilo (Sanders), he’s the type to always find out and set up all the housing stuff or set up all the different stuff. So now it’s definitely a lot of responsibilities I got to take care of.”

 

We’ve seen a lot of guys come through here, rookies, and, you know, especially when you’re so close to your family, some guys do get homesick. They don’t adjust well to a new city. It doesn’t really seem like you’re having that problem, but, I mean, is it so different to be in a completely new environment away from home. I mean, you’re so close to Shilo (Sanders), so close to your dad. How has that gone for you, just to be here in your whole new digs? 

“Well, I got a home here, so I’m comfortable. So, I’m extremely comfortable. And we talk on FaceTime, so it’s no different. Like, yeah, we’re guys, like, we’re just going to be on FaceTime, so it’s no true difference. But one thing, he definitely gives me tips and stuff, so I got like a cold press juicer. And I’ve been having to do that, because he lived like three doors down from me in Colorado, and I just walked to his house to get juice, but now I got to do it myself. So that’s the hardest adjustment with everything. But other than that, I’m thankful for you all coming out. Thank you.”

 

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