Shedeur Sanders dropping to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft had reasons more than just football. Critics argued that his focus was more on the spotlight and carrying himself like a star. After his rookie season, talk around that has once again resurfaced.

Former New York Jets head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan recently criticized the Cleveland Browns quarterback after behind-the-scenes footage from a photoshoot surfaced on social media. Ryan wrote,

“Get a load of this kid… Great talent needs to realize as a ‘franchise’ QB there has to be more we than me…,” Ryan wrote. “Cmon man…”

As his comments gained traction, Sanders’ brother, Deion Sanders Jr., wasted little time firing back at the NFL veteran.

“Why does it bother you so much?” Deion Jr. replied.

Deion Jr. backed up his brother after Ryan criticized Shedeur Sanders’ photoshoot, as he posted in front of his No. 12 Browns jerseys. But it’s not the first time the former NFL head coach has criticized Sanders for his off-field moves. In fact, just last year, Ryan gave a detailed assessment of Sanders and called him out to focus on quarterbacking.

“This kid talks, and he runs his mouth,” Ryan said in September 2025. “Like he said, ‘I can be a starting quarterback’ with his arms crossed like this. Get your a** in the front row and study and do all that. If I know, the whole league knows. Quit being an embarrassment that way. You’ve got the talent to be the quarterback; you should be. You should be embarrassed that you’re not the quarterback now.”

When his comments surfaced, Shedeur was buried on the depth chart, starting his rookie season as a third-string quarterback behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. At the time, the 24-year-old brushed off the criticism, citing, “I guess not everybody like playful all the time.” As the 2025 season progressed, however, he eventually earned the starting quarterback job and turned a few heads. In seven starts, Sanders recorded  1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

Now entering his second NFL season, he finds himself in a quarterback competition with Deshaun Watson. With the Browns set to open training camp on July 29 and a QB1 decision expected sooner rather than later, the conversation around Sanders continues to center as much on his off-field persona as it does on his chances of winning the starting job. Whether Sanders brushes these comments off in the 2026 season remains to be seen.