Shedeur Sanders’ first game as a starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns lived up to the hype. The 23-year-old completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards against the Raiders and helped secure a 24-10 win for his team.
The aftermath, however, has made this otherwise celebratory moment a major point of discussion across football media. After the game, Sanders, in his trademark confidence, made some claims about his future in the game.
The quarterback stated that a lot of people want to see him fail, but unfortunately for them, it’s never going to happen. What could’ve easily been seen as confidence from a young player was interpreted as arrogance by some sections of the media.
On First Things First, the panel advised Sanders to be more humble and acknowledge the chances he’s been given. In their opinion, he’s not a guaranteed starter as of now to be making such big claims about himself.
Cowboys legend, Dez Bryant, saw the media’s reaction in a different light. The 37-year-old responded to the clip on X and expressed his true feelings on the entire saga.
“If Shedeur Sanders rushed for a TD and started doing a dance like Dart did scoring his first rushing TD.. the media will have a field day.. (and don’t bring that race sh*t up.. because the media made it this way for some odd reason)Shedeur ain’t no trench baby respectfully he grew up with 2 parents who walk with tremendous confidence,” Bryant wrote.
If Shedeur Sanders rushed for a TD and started doing a dance like Dart did scoring his first rushing TD.. the media will have a field day.. (and don’t bring that race shit up.. because the media made it this way for some odd reason)Shedeur ain’t no trench baby respectfully he… https://t.co/f9Hc1HOqKE
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) November 26, 2025
Bryant stated that being confident shouldn’t be counted as a demerit in anyone, let alone an athlete who is trying to make a name for himself. He also said that while Shedeur is trying to make it on his own, he has a coach who doesn’t like him for reasons best known to him.
Kendrick Perkins Heaped Praise on Shedeur Sanders
Sanders’ performance against the Raiders opened the floodgates of opinions, especially from those who were waiting to see him on the field for a long time. Former NBA star Kendrick Perkins is a part of that group and has long been a supporter of Sanders.
After the game, Perkins posted a clip on Instagram where he talked about the quarterback. He claimed that Sanders is doing great work in bringing the entire community together and that he possesses a lot of power in the world of sports.
“Shedeur Sanders is the most powerful Black man since 2009. You know what happened in 2009? That’s when President (Barack) Obama got elected in office,” Perkins said. “He’s having fun with this. He’s the most powerful Black man in sports. As a matter of fact, he’s the most powerful player in sports.”
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Understandably, some people didn’t like the comparisons with a former president. However, the sentiment wasn’t entirely wrong. Sanders has a lot of fans, largely due to how people feel about his father, and those people want to see him succeed.
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