Polymarket Football shared a post on X comparing the first three career starts of Tom Brady and Shedeur Sanders. On the surface, it was the usual social-media stat check. Sanders had more yards, more touchdowns, fewer interceptions, and a stronger passer rating through three games.
But the context is nowhere near equal. Brady entered the league in a different era, whereas Sanders is playing in a modern, aggressive passing landscape where rookies throw early and often. The comparison generated discussion, but anyone looking at it seriously knows the gap in eras and systems matters.
Jason Whitlock didn’t waste time jumping in. He has been openly critical of Sanders and what he sees as exaggerated media hype around the rookie. Whitlock responded to the graphic with a short, dry comment:
“That settles it,” he wrote.
That settles it. https://t.co/nDf66P7YVZ
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) December 9, 2025
The tone said everything. It wasn’t praise. It was another sarcastic jab at the people pushing Sanders into superstar conversations before he has even played a full month as a starter. To Whitlock, this was another example of a narrative getting ahead of reality.
And that’s the bigger issue with comparisons like this. Sanders has shown real promise, and his early flashes deserve credit, but putting him beside the seven-time Super Bowl champion after three starts creates expectations no rookie can realistically live up to.
The moment he hits a stretch of ordinary games, which every young quarterback inevitably does, the backlash can hit harder than the praise ever did. These inflated benchmarks don’t just distort the conversation, they set players up to be mocked the second their numbers dip.
Kendrick Perkins Compared Shedeur Sanders to Barack Obama
A few weeks earlier, Kendrick Perkins pushed the discourse in a completely different direction. He framed Sanders as the most influential Black figure in sports today and tied that influence to the kind of cultural impact Barack Obama had when he took office.
Perkins argued that Sanders has a unique hold on the community. In his view, Sanders carries himself with swagger, but still feels relatable. Perkins believes that balance explains the support he sees around Sanders and why fans rally to him so quickly.
“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.”
View this post on Instagram
Perkins went even further, saying Sanders isn’t just a top personality in football but the most powerful athlete in all of sports. It was a dramatic statement, built more on cultural momentum than NFL production.
Naturally, Whitlock took issue with it. In his view, Sanders is a rookie with flashes of potential, not a cultural icon, not a generational force, and not someone who should be placed anywhere near presidential comparisons.
Read More:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
