President Donald Trump celebrated on Monday after Shedeur Sanders achieved a victory in his first professional start with the Cleveland Browns.
In that game, Sanders successfully completed 11 of 20 pass attempts for 209 yards and threw one touchdown. He made a notable connection with Isaiah Bond early on for a score and later delivered a remarkable 66-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Sampson, which began as a short throw.
Trump had previously endorsed Sanders during the draft process when Sanders unexpectedly went unselected and later expressed his support via a post on Truth Social. “Shedeur Sanders was great. Won the first game to start his (Cleveland) professional career. Great genes. I told you so!” he wrote.
As a fifth-round pick deemed one of the top quarterbacks available, Sanders had caught Trump’s attention, especially after the president voiced his concern over the treatment of his father, Deion Sanders, a prominent football figure. Earlier, Trump had asked, “What’s wrong with NFL owners? Are they stupid? Deion was a fantastic college and NFL player. He’s also a smart coach!”
Sanders began the season as the third-string quarterback behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. Following Flacco’s trade to the Cincinnati Bengals and Gabriel’s concussion injury in a prior game, Sanders got the chance to step in.
After the game, he displayed confidence in his postgame remarks, becoming the first Browns rookie quarterback in nearly three decades to secure a win in his debut. “Everyone starts from a different place. We just didn’t have the summer squad we needed to be ready. But, you have to go out and perform. There’s no choice,” he noted, adding that he wouldn’t be discouraged by critics. “A lot want to see me fail. That’s just not going to happen.”
The Browns are set to face the San Francisco 49ers next week, though it remains uncertain if Sanders will be the starter again.
