Shedeur Sanders just revealed the unlikely NFL QB guiding him

Shedeur Sanders is used to the limelight and external pressure, and it’ll be dialed up to the max during what will be his fifth NFL start on Sunday.

Sanders and the Cleveland Browns will go head-to-head with Josh Allen and the surging Buffalo Bills. The NFL world will be tuning in to watch the league’s reigning MVP go head-to-head with Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who sits 1.5 sacks shy of breaking the league’s all-time record for a single season.

Those eyes, of course, will also be on Sanders, who will be looking to bounce back from the worst statistical performance of his young career. He completed just 51.4 percent of his passes in last week’s ugly, 31-3 loss to the Chicago Bears, while tossing three interceptions, taking five sacks, and posting a QB rating of 30.3.

To Sanders’ credit, he hasn’t complained about the team’s patchwork offensive line, or the inconsistent play of supposed No. 1 wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. In fact, the charismatic son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has handled himself well at the podium this year, dodging leading questions from the media, and often revealing candid insights into his unique NFL journey to date.

There was a prime example of that this week during his Wednesday media availability with the local Browns beat reporters. He was asked a question about overcoming his low completion percentage numbers — he’s at an alarmingly low 52.2 percent on the season — and surprisingly revealed an unknown veteran mentor that every Browns fan knows well.

Jameis Winston might be shaping Shedeur Sanders' mindset (in the best way)

There’s really no one like Sanders in the NFL, which is why it’s been so easy for Browns fans and others around the league to be instantly drawn to him. 

You could say the exact same thing about Jameis Winston, who’s not only 1-of-1 in terms of personality, but has become must-see TV anytime he's near a camera or microphone.

Sanders was actually asked two separate times about his low completion percentage on Wednesday. The first time, he gave a short, no-excuses type of response. When given another chance, he expounded on a recent conversation with Winston, who’s currently a backup QB for the New York Giants but spent an eventual season with the Browns in 2024.

“I mean, I’m not really looking at the numbers, I’m looking at the wins, you know?” Sanders said. “So that achieves everything. I talked to Jameis a couple weeks ago. He went crazy. He threw for some crazy yards, but he was like, ‘Nah, the most important thing is the wins.’ Having that guidance, having that knowledge, from a vet like him, it truly helped me understand a little bit more. I always knew, of course, winning, and that’s the final goal, that’s what everybody’s in this league to do. So, you know, you just gotta focus on that, and the more plays you stack, the more completions you rack up, the better chance you have at winning.

So, have I been playing winning football lately? Nah, I don’t think so. But it’s something that I have self-evaluated and I’m going to apply to my game.”

There might not be a more qualified veteran quarterback to speak on this topic than Winston, who entered the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in 2015. He’s passed for almost 25,000 yards and 156 touchdowns throughout his 11-year career. He’s also thrown 113 interceptions and taken 222 sacks.

Those are a lot of numbers, but Winston’s career record as a starter is 36-53. It’s a big reason why he’s now playing for his fourth different franchise, and third in three years.

Winston passed for over 2,000 yards in his seven starts for the Browns last year, including his out-of-this-world stat line on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos: 497 passing yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions — and two pick-sixes. The Browns lost that game, 41-32, and went 2-5 with Winston as their starter. 

To steal a line from another figurehead in Browns history, Bill Belichick, stats are for losers. No fan base deserves a winner more than Browns fans, and Sanders’ comments on individual statistics strike the perfect chords.

Leave it to Jameis to impart the wisdom that could one day define Sanders’ NFL career.