In spite of his public humiliation at last month’s NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was all smiles while talking with media at the ongoing rookie minicamp in Berea, Ohio.
Once projected as a high first-round pick, the son of Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders plummeted to the 144th selection, where he was taken by the Browns on Day 3. That tumble effectively cost Shedeur millions over the life of his rookie contract, which he joked about on Saturday: ‘I’m not trying to buy anything. My signing bonus ain’t that high right now.’
Going by the rookie salary scale, Shedeur will likely get a four-year deal worth around $4.6 million, which is a far cry from the tens of millions he would have earned as a first-round pick.
Since that embarrassment, various reports have emerged accusing the younger Sanders of botching his pre-draft interviews with team reps, some of whom were said to be turned off by the former Buffaloes star’s attitude.
But rather than attacking his critics or even denying the anonymous reports, the 23-year-old struck a decidedly optimistic tone with reporters on Saturday: ‘My job isn’t to prove people wrong, it’s to prove myself right.’
Of course, it helps to get support from seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and President Donald Trump, the latter of whom urged teams to draft Shedeur on social media.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was all smiles while talking with media
Shedeur Sanders stretches during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
‘I was pretty thankful for it,’ Sanders said Saturday when asked about Trump’s support. ‘Including him, there were a lot of fans, people in barber shops, lotta hair stylists, just fans of me and my craft and of my family, that was there to support. I was just thankful that I had that foundation overall. Just people, and we could all come together as one.’
He also received a message from Brady, himself a former sixth-round selection.
‘My story’s going to be similar,’ Shedeur said of Brady’s message to him. ‘[Brady] was a late-round draft pick, but we’re here now, so none of that stuff matters.’
Shedeur is not intimidated by the Browns’ crowded quarterback room, which includes veteran Joe Flacco, former Philadelphia Eagles backup Kenny Pickett, the injured former starter Deshaun Watson, as well as fellow rookie and former Oregon star Dillon Gabriel.
As he told reporters Saturday, he’s actually excited to share this experience with Gabriel.
‘He’s a real cool guy, overall,’ Shedeur said. ‘You can tell, he always has a great mood, he’s always in a good mood.
‘I’ve only been around him two days, though,’ he added, eliciting some laughter from assembled media.
Shedeur Sanders throws a pass during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
The Browns’ other rookie quarterback, Dillon Gabriel speaks with reporters in Berea
Shedeur said he’s currently looking for work to do in the community in and around Cleveland, explaining that he hopes to work with local schools, where children’s ‘minds [are] not corrupted by other people’s opinions.’
But while that may sound like a bitter statement from Shedeur, he insists he does not care about what his critics are saying about him or his pre-draft process.
‘So I don’t truly care,’ he said. ‘They don’t really live in my mental space about that type of stuff. It really doesn’t do anything for me.
‘I mean you just got to step back and look at life,’ he said, as quoted by the Newark Advocate. ‘You’re in a great situation overall that you able to be healthy. That’s one thing going through. Even with my brother going through an injury and my pops and everybody in the family, you value life and you value opportunity and just waking up every day a different way.
‘So that’s kind of why it’s nothing for me to really, no matter what in any situation, I can’t really be phased by it. It is like playing quarterback. You go down there, you may have not scored the whole game or whatever, but then when it gets to that final two minutes and it’s time to lock in extra, you can’t be in your feelings. You can’t be down about anything. You still got another chance.’