Shedeur Sanders fan narratives —The conclusion

*Editor's note: This is the end of a 12-part series which takes an extended look into the early NFL career of Colorado legend Shedeur Sanders and the conversations by fans. View the entire series here.

Deion Sanders and his family have a remarkable fanbase. They are loyal and defend that family from where they are as if they were actually related and see Shedeur and Shilo and family functions. It’s a remarkable dynamic that should be almost enviable to other somewhat similar fanbases. However, everything doesn’t have to be a fight to defend them. 

There is a process of football that most of the Shedeur fans seem to reject. The entire fan conversation surrounding Shedeur Sanders since the draft slide has been in a word, “confrontational”. Most of which is based solely on looking at a football situation and refusing to see the football aspect of it. Opting instead to view Shedeur Sanders with the Browns as something that needs to be tracked daily with any and all details that don’t fit a preconceived expectation as being nefarious. No one is out to ‘get’ Shedeur. His time in minicamps, OTAs and training camp are not some transgression that needs to be addressed. There is a process of football that must run its course. Even after the 53 man roster is finalized, the work is not over. 

Joe Flacco is the starter and having a 5th round draft pick with considerably higher than 5th round talent starting above him was never on the table. An interesting parallel is that it is just good football sense. If Dillon Gabriel had a fanbase marching at the gate for him to be the week 1 starter, it would be equally a bad idea. Shedeur Sanders should want to play every snap of every game, that’s what makes him a competitor. Everyone else in the situation should not want him starting week 1. The goal for Shedeur Sanders should not be to start the season as QB1 but to finish the season as QB1. 

If Shedeur Sanders ends the season as QB1, the Browns have to have a very serious conversation about the 2026 Draft. If he’s everything fans saw at Colorado and by that extension Jackson State, those high first round picks can be spent on other positions to set up Shedeur’s Browns to compete next year, not years down the line. 

Here’s the final thought for Shedeur fans who are very proud of their level of support. Shedeur Sanders admitted to Deion Sanders that his football goal or dream is to finish his playing career on the same level as his father. That would be a tall order in almost any situation. Deion was 1 of 1 and a first ballot hall of famer. To this day adults and kids alike can agree he was the best that ever did it.

However, Cleveland is the one place where Shedeur can be Shedeur and if he has any success at all, that success will catapult him into conversations he would otherwise not be in, because it's Cleveland. If Shedeur goes on to even go to a Super Bowl with Cleveland, he’s already the third best Cleveland athlete of all time. If he wins a Super Bowl, he’s already above Lebron James.

If he wins even two Super Bowls for Cleveland in his entire career, he’s the greatest Cleveland athlete of all time. One Super Bowl in Cleveland will be worth 2-3 anywhere else. Kevin Stefanski has two Coach of the Year awards and most fans think at least one of those are because he did what he did, in Cleveland. If Shedeur wants to be shoulder to shoulder with his father, Cleveland is the best opportunity to do so. Whether it was week 1 rookie year, week 7 rookie year or 2026 and beyond.