Shedeur Sanders hasn't thrown a regular-season pass, yet he's already winning heavyweight backing. With Cleveland Browns training camp around the corner and the QB1 race heating up, Pat McAfee has gone to bat for the rookie.

McAfee, in his latest July 23 segment, said many people were angry at them simply because they wanted Sanders to win the QB race. However, McAfee made his stance clear, bluntly asking viewers to look at Sanders' past performance.

“You see what he did at Colorado? You see what he did at Jackson State? He’s remained the exact same, it feels like. Showed up early. Was in the community. He looks like he’s in great shape, not that he ever didn’t,” said McAfee.

With that statement, Pat McAfee further said during the same July 23 episode that he doesn't care about anything else; he wants to see Sanders and the Browns win the upcoming Super Bowl.

“I hope Shedeur does good and the Browns win. I hope they win. We would like to see the Browns fans and faithful have happiness. We would like to see that. I would like to see that, personally,” said McAfee.

Sanders threw for 14,353 yards and 134 touchdowns across 50 career games at Jackson State and Colorado, completing 70.1% of his passes. He was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024, and the school retired his number.

While his rookie year with the Browns has been questionable, there's no denying that the young QB has the talent to become one of the league's top quarterbacks in the future.

Looking at his college stats, McAfee is confident that Sanders will redeem himself sooner or later. Interestingly, Sanders himself is looking for a big turnaround this year.

Shedeur Sanders reveals bold change in strategy heading into year 2

Last year, Sanders had one of the worst seasons of his career, completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

It certainly broke him enough to make the necessary changes in both his game and his personal life, and this year, Sanders believes in keeping things simple to calm his mind.

“I can’t be consistent on the field and not have consistency in my personal life,” Sanders said on The Nadeska Show by Apple Music. “Whatever you do in your personal life is going to bleed into how you feel, so if you’re disciplined, you’re gonna make the right reads.

Despite his talent, Sanders has faced persistent criticism that his off-field shenanigans often overshadow his performance under center, and that perception has affected his career.

That's why, from this year onward, Sanders believes in staying as grounded as possible.

“I understand how real life translates to the game, and that’s why I simplified everything,” Sanders added. “For me to go out there and execute, to go out there and do what I can do. I know I can, so that’s all that matters is just displaying it for the world.”

His confessions might be genuine, but he'll still have to earn his status as a starting quarterback. That said, what are your thoughts on Shedeur Sanders? Will he be able to redeem himself?

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi